


Beautiful Disaster

by SophieTrancy



Category: Teen Wolf (TV)
Genre: Abandonment, Adoption, Anal Fingering, Anal Sex, Anchors, Ass to Mouth, Banshee Lydia Martin, Bathtub Sex, Beta Liam Dunbar, Bisexual Liam Dunbar, Biting, Blow Jobs, Bottom Liam Dunbar, Bottom Theo, Closure, Come Inflation, Come Marking, Comfort Sex, Consensual, Consensual Kink, Consensual Sex, Crying Liam Dunbar, Cute Liam Dunbar, Denial of Feelings, Dirty Talk, Dogs, Domestic Fluff, Established Relationship, Eventual Flip Sex, Family Issues, First Dates, Fluff, Fluff and Angst, Good Theo Raeken, Graduation, Hand Jobs, Happy, Happy Ending, Happy Sex, Hellhound Jordan Parrish, Hurt Liam, Hurt/Comfort, In Public, Insecure Liam, Insecure Theo Raeken, Jealous Theo Raeken, Liam Has PTSD - Post-Traumatic Stress Disorder, Love Bites, M/M, Marriage Proposal, Mentioned Cum Inflation, Mild Cum Inflation, Minor Lydia Martin/Jordan Parrish, Multiple Orgasms, Nightmares, Oral Sex, Original Character(s), Pack Family, Panic Attacks, Passion, Passionate Sex, Protective Scott, Protective Theo Raeken, Public Hand Jobs, Public Masturbation, Riding, Rimming, Rough Sex, Scent Kink, Scent Marking, Scenting, Semi-Public Sex, Sexual Harassment, Sharing Body Heat, Sharing Clothes, Sharing a Bed, Singing, Supportive Theo, Theo Can Sing, Theo Is Haunted By Memories, Theo Loses Control, Theo Raeken Cries, Thiam, Top Liam, Top Theo Raeken, Trust Issues, Walks In The Woods, Werewolf Bites, college party, excessive amounts of cum, post season 6 finale, theo sings
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2017-09-29
Updated: 2017-11-17
Packaged: 2019-01-06 19:23:00
Rating: Explicit
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 20
Words: 113,693
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/12217329
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/SophieTrancy/pseuds/SophieTrancy
Summary: Gabe was never part of the plan. The kid came out of nowhere and it didn’t matter that Theo saw him before anyone else did. It didn’t matter because there was nothing any of them could’ve done at that point. His gun was ready, aimed and he just pulled the trigger.He pulled the trigger at Liam. And Theo wasn't going to let Liam die. Not today, not ever. They had barely had any time, the elevator, the kiss... It was just their beginning. Theo wouldn't let it be their end. He'd find a way.OrThe one where Liam finally makes the first move on Theo, only to end up getting shot at the hospital.  And Theo found a way to help him heal, motivated,  now that he knew Liam felt the same for him.





	1. In the Way He Breathed...

**Author's Note:**

> Hello, everyone! So, I've been talking non-stop about this Thiam story of mine and, I didn't do a good job with the summary, but I hope you read it anyway. This story won't be long, 5, maybe 6 chapters, very, very, very explict, sexually explicit, lots and lots of fluff. 
> 
> This is me giving the fandom the Thiam ending we didn't get. The idea came to me based on a couple of spoilers we got prior to the finale. Here you go.

_'If he tastes like rainfall, looks like a summer storm,_

_fights for you like a forest fire, he's a tornado of a person._

_(And you need to hold on and never ever let him go)'_

_-Nikita Gill, Beautiful Disaster._

 

That was it. Liam was going to die. There was nowhere he could go, nothing he could do. Not with those hunters mere ten feet from him. It was like time slowed down, right in front of him, though Liam’s heart kept speeding up. Liam hadn’t really thought about dying, not even when things got crazy. He just wasn’t ready to, not today, not tomorrow.

But he was gonna die, ready for it, or not. He was going to die and there were a million things he had never done, a million things he had never said. He heard the guns losing their locks and just braced himself. It was all he could do, really. Liam wasn’t a quitter and he wasn’t a coward. He wasn’t going to beg for his life, he wasn’t going to run from this fight either. Liam looked those men in the eyes, almost hoping it would do him some good. But they still aimed their guns at him, his head, his body, fingers on triggers.

And then they opened fire. Liam remembered hearing the elevator faintly dinging behind him, but he was way too busy trying to curl into the world’s tiniest ball possible to give it much thought. The hospital hallway lit up, the sound almost unbearable. Liam just stood there, waiting. Just waiting for the pain, the smell of gunpowder burning his nostrils. But the pain never came.

Instead, there was something pulling at him, coming from behind. And, through all the gunshots, Liam opened his eyes to find Theo. Liam opened his eyes to find Theo’s horrified ones, the Chimera breathing deeply once the elevator doors closed. He pushed two buttons on the control panel and Liam felt the elevator stop, the emergency light shining a red glow upon them.

“What are you doing here?” Liam asked, panting, back against the elevator wall. Theo stood in front of him, taking his beanie out and shoving it into the back pocket of his jeans.

“I was just asking myself the same thing” Theo looked around, trying to find a way out of the metal box, but there wasn’t one. It wasn’t a service elevator, but he couldn’t push the little door open on the ceiling. There was probably something on top of it. The only way out was the door. Theo turned to look at Liam, the Beta still panting slightly, eyes closed, head against the wall “Are you okay?”

“Yeah…” Liam opened his eyes, still struggling to breathe “Thank you…”

“Just add it to the ever growing list of times I saved your life” Theo smirked at him and, for the first time, Liam didn’t feel like punching it out of his face. To tell the truth, Liam hadn’t felt that for a while now. Liam rolled his eyes, smiling.

“No argument on my part, dude. I was sure I was going to die” Theo arched a brow at Liam, watching the Beta turn to look at the door.

“There’s only three of them” Theo said, pointing to the hallway like three armed, military men should be nothing.

“That’s where you’re wrong. Deucalion’s dead, the Anuk-Ite merged… we’re _fucked_. For a second there, I was sure I was gonna die and I don’t mean only them”

Theo understood it then. No matter how easy Theo made it look that he feared nothing, he feared plenty. And the reason he was afraid, at all, was standing right there, in front of him, horrified. _Liam Dunbar_. Stupid, fucking Liam Dunbar had crawled under his skin, that’s why Theo was there, in the first place. And it hurt to see Liam scared. Liam used his anger to hide his fear, but right now it was there, all of it exposed, in the way he blinked, in the way he breathed, in the way he _looked_ at Theo.

Theo didn’t have the guts to say anything, though. He couldn’t. Liam would probably kill him, or never look at him again if he let Theo live. And Theo had been shocked to realize he was okay with not having Liam, _like that,_ if it meant having Liam in his life, no matter in what way.

“But we gotta get out of here. Mason and Corey are still stuck in here somewhere. Melissa is barely out of a coma, fucking _Nolan_ told me about Monroe experimenting on wolves with…”

“Wait, wait, wait, _back it up_ ” Theo couldn’t believe his ears, ignoring the sound of the men talking right outside the elevator “Nolan? Barely beat the werewolf out of you, Nolan? _That_ Nolan? You’ve been talking to Nolan? How the fuck did that happen? Do I even _want_ to know how that happened? Corey can become invisible, they’ll be fine and I don’t know about you, but Melissa McCall _mortifies_ me” Theo said, hands on his waist. 

“Nolan saw Monroe torturing Ethan, another wolf from Scott’s pack, from London, an old friend. He… regrets what he’s done” Liam rolled his eyes at how utterly _betrayed_ Theo looked “Don’t look at me like that, I believe him, I saw everything with my own eyes. He’s telling the truth, Monroe’s been injecting Mountain Ash and Wolfsbane into werewolves she’s keeping trapped here, on _this_ floor”

“She wants to know how our bodies react” Theo whispered, suddenly everything made sense. He pointed at Liam, turning to look back to the door “I still hate you and this Nolan kid, though”

“There’s no me _and Nolan._ At least he finally understood that the real monsters don’t have fangs and glowing eyes, that’s all I could have ever asked for”

Theo couldn’t argue with that, despite his natural tendency to argue, when it came to Liam. Liam was right, that was what they had been trying to do, convince people they wanted peace, just as much as they did. Theo was just shocked that had been Nolan, of all people. Goddam Nolan, who had tried to beat and kill Liam on more than one occasion now, so yeah. Theo would never trust the kid, no matter what Liam said.

Theo cracked his knuckles, fingers aiming for the buttons on the elevator’s control panel when Liam pushed his hand away.

“The _fuck_ are you doing?!" Liam hissed, not wanting to attract attention to them.

“We can’t stay here forever” Theo shrugged, not understanding Liam’s concern, turning to the Beta “Besides, we _can_ beat them”

“We need a plan, Theo, we can’t just burst through these doors!” Liam pinched the bridge of his nose, exasperated. 

“Look, I’m not dying for you, if that’s what you’re so concerned about” Theo said, smirking. But Liam snapped his head at him, eyes open to look at the Chimera, dead serious.

“Well, I’m not dying for you either” Theo swallowed past the lump that suddenly formed in his throat, blinking fast, unable to stop himself from looking down. Liam watched Theo break his stare, something he never did. That’s how Liam read Theo, understood him. Theo was afraid too, Liam _knew_ he cared. And it just made Liam want to hug him even more, especially knowing what was waiting for them outside.

When Theo looked at him again, Liam remembered just how scared he had been mere minutes before. Liam had been scared he wasn’t going to get to see Theo again, that had been his biggest fear. Theo deserved so much better than all the misery he had gone through and Liam wanted to make him happy, make him smile. Theo looked so _handsome_ when he smiled Liam felt his knees going weak. But, right now, Theo looked lost. Theo looked like he was about to do something stupid, for Liam, and the Beta wouldn’t allow it, not again. This time, they’d do it together.

“Ah, fuck it”

Theo frowned when Liam whispered those words, but didn’t have time to ask what was wrong before the Beta was walking into him, hands holding both side of his face and bringing their mouths together. It was just a warm press of lips at first, soft and testing.

Theo’s shocked eyes focused on Liam’s closed ones, the Chimera forgetting how to breathe. Liam was _kissing_ him. Theo had no idea what to do. He had thought about this, had _dreamed_ about it even, but, now that it was happening, Theo was lost.

Liam pulled away slowly, their lips making the sweetest sound as they parted. Theo watched as Liam’s eyes blinked open, coming up to find Theo’s, his reddish tongue poking out to taste his lips. And that’s all it took. Theo closed his eyes then, hands reaching for Liam’s waist under his leather jacket as he bowed his head, kissing Liam without a second thought.

Liam moaned, his arms hugging Theo’s shoulders, their two inch height difference suddenly forgotten as Theo pulled Liam closer. Liam opened his mouth to let Theo in, the Chimera moaning when their tongues touched. Liam ran his fingers through Theo’s hair, holding the strands tight, just like he had been dreaming of doing.

And it felt better than he had thought, all of it. Theo’s hands reached under his shirt, both of them moaning and smiling when their skins touched. They had touched before, but it was different now. Theo’s jaw fell slack, his eyes still closed as he felt Liam kissing down his neck, tongue lavishing the skin, pulling his t-shirt down to expose him a bit more. Theo squeezed his waist tightly, smiling when Liam moaned as their bodies rocked together.

When they pulled away, they were both wrecked, looking exactly like what they had just done. They hadn’t done much, but the hot make out session was pretty damn _obvious._ Liam still had his hand on the side of Theo’s face, fingers in the Chimera’s hair, their foreheads together as Theo took deep breaths, eyes closed, refusing to let go of Liam’s waist.

“I’m not gonna die for you, but I _will_ fight with you” Liam whispered, watching as the Chimera opened his eyes to look at him “I’ll fight for _this_ ”

Theo felt the smirk tug at his lips and he didn’t fight it. He grabbed the hand Liam had on his face, leaving a kiss to his palm, holding it tightly against his as they turned to the elevator doors.

“Okay, then” Theo said, watching Liam reach for the buttons “Let’s fight”

 

* * *

 

 

Things were going to be okay, they had it all under control. Theo and Liam fought as one, standing over the hunter’s bodies, smiling and howling softly, despite the fangs. Corey and Mason joined them, the human smiling at his boyfriend upon realizing, almost immediately, what the Beta and Chimera were. It was obvious in the way they _looked_ at each other.

Melissa was obviously a badass and even Nolan had helped. But Gabe was never part of the plan. The kid came out of nowhere and it didn’t matter that Theo saw him before anyone else did. It didn’t matter because there was nothing any of them could’ve done at that point. His gun was ready, aimed and he just pulled the trigger.

_He pulled the trigger at Liam._


	2. You Did The Right Thing

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Theo meets Derek.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Thank you so much for all the love you've shown to me and to this story! So, here's chapter two! Let me know what you think. I hope you don't think it's too feely for Theo, but well, it was all too overwhelming.

_'Breaking off_

_pieces of yourself_

_to fit into places_

_will not help you belong_

_it will only make you bleed'_

_\- Nikita Gill, Pieces of You_

 

He pulled the trigger at Liam. And Theo would never be able to forget the horrible sound that escaped his own mouth when Liam looked down, his hand reaching for his abdomen, coming back bloody. Theo was by his side before Liam could fall to the floor. Liam looked up at Theo, almost as if begging the Chimera to tell him he was going to be okay.

“No, no, no, _no_ ” Theo repeated as he helped Liam sit on the floor, horror dripping from his every word. Theo pushed Liam’s jacket down his shoulders, bringing him closer to his own chest so he could then throw it to the side, away. Liam complained as his body moved, Theo’s hand on the wall beside his head as the Chimera lifted his shirt to see what had happened “You’re not healing” Theo whispered, watching the blood gushing out “Why aren’t you healing? There’s no wolfsbane, it’s just a regular bullet, _why_ _aren’t you healing?”_

“I… Theo…” Liam felt his body sway dangerously to the left, but Theo held him upright. Liam just wanted to close his eyes for a bit, not sleep, just… close his eyes.

“Liam, you have to keep your eyes open, you _can’t_ fall asleep” Theo growled, the sound echoing down the halls, his hand punching the wall right next to Liam’s head in frustration. Drops of Theo’s blood, along with concrete fell to the floor and on the Beta’s shoulder, but neither of them cared “You have to heal, Liam…” Theo’s other hand touched the side of Liam’s head, his voice a whisper, the Beta’s eyes on Theo’s, so many things left unsaid the air around them was stupidly heavy “Heal, baby, _please_ ” Liam smiled faintly, closing his eyes, leaning into Theo’s palm.

“I’m… trying” Liam coughed, pain rushing through him as the sharp scent of blood took over the room once more, stronger now, Liam spitting some out onto the floor, groaning as every muscle in his body ached “It hurts... it fucking hurts, Theo, _God..."_

Theo rested his forehead against Liam’s, straddling the Beta’s legs. Liam’s head was hung low, almost as if he had been losing the fight. There was so much blood, pouring out of him, his shirt already glued to his skin. Theo closed his eyes, his hands on either side of Liam’s neck, thumbs on his cheeks, caressing them slowly.

“C’mon, baby” Theo whispered against his lips, focusing like Liam had taught him. He imagined the pain flowing from Liam’s body to his, pictured the thick, black veins appearing on his marble skin as his organism processed it, healed from it when Liam couldn’t “C’mon, Dunbar…” Theo grew impatient, knowing that every second he wasted was a second Liam lost. He couldn't _lose_ Liam, he  _couldn't_. 

Then Theo roared, head thrown back as his eyes shone in a bright yellow, fangs so long they pierced the skin of his mouth. Pain flashed through him, starting like a burning itch he just _couldn’t_ scratch at his palms, building up like a wildfire inside his chest as the veins curled around his heart. The ringing in his ears was so loud Theo’s senses were confused. He didn’t know where the sound was coming from, if it was from inside his own head or from the hospital around them.

“Theo… Theo!” Liam’s voice came to him in a whisper at first, muffled, distant even, the Beta’s hands like ice on his burning skin, trying, pushing him away with whatever strength he had left “Theo, you have… to stop!”

Then Theo felt himself wheeze when his back hit the wall, Corey and Mason crouched down in front of him when his vision finally cleared again. Corey touched his arm as Theo coughed, trying and failing to get oxygen into his lungs.

“Sorry, dude, but it was the only way to get you to let go of him” Corey said, with an apologetic look on his face.

“Liam will be fine, but you would’ve died if you hadn’t stopped” Mason explained when Theo looked at him, or rather _tried_ to, the Chimera now coughing harder, but inhaling “If you had taken all of Liam’s pain, it would’ve created a connection and you would have been able to give him your power” Theo arched his brows, shaking his head at the idea. Theo had never heard of such a thing. He could still feel the Chimera inside, the proof of what the Dread Doctors had done to him still there “Stiles told me that’s how Derek saved his sister, how he gave up his Alpha status” Mason continued, reaching a hand out to Theo, but the Chimera brushed it away weakly, still slouching on the floor, looking for Liam “By taking _all_ of her pain, making _her_ the Alpha”

It was a lot to process at once. Chimeras weren’t Alphas or Betas or Omegas, they were just Chimeras. Theo was just Theo. He couldn’t possibly give Liam any of it, wouldn't ever want to. The things the Doctors had done to him… Liam didn’t have to know. Theo watched Liam sleep for a few moments, thanking Corey and Mason as Melissa made sure everything was fine with the Beta. She rested Liam on the floor, using his bundled up leather jacket as a pillow for his head.

She took her time examining his torso, making sure whatever Theo hadn’t been able to help Liam heal was on its way to full recovery. Melissa brushed Liam’s hair back, wiping away a bit of blood to make sure the gash Liam had there had closed, huffing when it was gone, not even a scar in its place. Melissa then came to kneel beside Theo, smiling softly at him. She brought along some gauze and… well, Theo didn’t really care. He was curled into himself, feeling his body getting rid of the stupid amount of pain, the phantom feeling of the bullet making him almost break a sweat right there. Melissa got closer, a hand gently on his forehead.

“You okay there, kiddo?” Theo huffed, Melissa called everyone that. But Theo would never get used to having someone call him that. Because that’s what parents called their children and the woman in front of him had _absolutely_ no strings attached to Theo. It had made his stomach twist and churn the first time the word had been directed at him, but today he just wanted to listen to Liam’s heart, ignoring everything else “You saved his life, you know that?”

“He’s worth it” Theo wheezed out, his voice still all fucked up. Melissa smiled, asking him in that gentle voice of hers to bend forward and take deep breaths for her to make sure his lungs would be okay. It was taking longer due to all the pain he had taken from Liam, but he would be fine. Theo pretty much _slouched_ against the woman, his eyes closing as he rested his head against her shoulder “Thank you… are you okay?”

“Yeah… I’m okay” She smiled, touching his face gently, standing up, though still with some effort and going with Mason and Nolan to make sure everyone else on that floor was okay, including the werewolves Monroe had been keeping there. In the back of Theo’s mind he was aware of Corey, looking through the hunter’s things, trying to find something useful, a clue as to what the next step of their plan was.

Theo crawled over to Liam, who looked somehow extremely tiny on the floor, his shirt embedded in dark, red blood, his jeans dirty and his jacket ruined. His hair was a complete, unfixable _mess_ at this point, but his face was peaceful. Theo sat against the wall, pulling Liam towards him and resting the Beta on his legs, his head against Theo’s chest.

It was like Theo could breathe again. He lifted Liam’s shirt, finally relaxing as he saw the perfect porcelain skin under the ruined fabric. Theo didn’t even realize what he was doing when his hand caressed the smooth skin, feeling the abs under his fingers. There was nothing there, it was over now. Theo felt his eyes closing, his head resting against the wall as he focused on Liam breathing. The Beta was healing, his chest going up and down slowly as he rested.

It was ridiculous how in only a couple of seconds everything had changed. In one second they were arguing, then freaking _kissing_ inside the elevator. The next they were fighting, then Liam was dying. Theo didn’t think he could handle any more surprises.

“What the fuck happened here?!” Chris barged in, seeing the men on the floor, all the empty shells and the two teenage boys on the floor. The pool of blood on the stoic white floor probably the hardest thing to erase from one’s mind “The _fuck_ happened to Liam?” Chris asked, already knowing Scott was going to lose it at this.

“Fucking Goddamn Gabe _happened_ ” Theo coughed, turning his face away from Liam and Chris, who looked intrigued at the Chimera, brows in a frown “One second we were winning against the hunters, the next he came out of nowhere, with a gun, shooting at Liam”

Chris found it odd how much Theo was coughing. No supernatural being could get sick and despite having been made with non supernatural methods, Theo still _couldn’t_ get sick, he healed far too fast for that. There was no explanation as to why he couldn’t talk.

“I took almost all of his pain” Theo looked down at Liam asleep in his arms, scooping him closer, hands in the boy’s hair. Chris smiled at the scene, looking up around them when Theo lifted his gaze, not wanting to make it uncomfortable “Corey and Mason pushed me against the wall to make me stop before I could…”

“Before you pushed the Chimera into him” Chris sighed when Theo nodded, kneeling closer, checking Liam’s pulse “You have to be very careful from now on, Theo. Liam wouldn’t have survived your Chimera”

“Up until five minutes ago, I didn’t even _know_ I could so something like that” Theo whispered, eyes closed “I just wanted to save him”

Chris touched his hair then, which surprised Theo, to say the least. Theo hugged Liam closer, on reflex, snapping his eyes open to look at the man’s soft blue ones.

“You _did_ the right thing, Theo, you have to know that” Chris smiled, squeezing his shoulder “Liam is going to be fine, just try not to move him too much until he wakes up, alright? Until he does, we won’t be sure he’s 100% recovered”

“Any news from Scott and the others?” Theo asked, feeling his brain kick in and be reminded that there was almost a war happening outside the hospital.

“Nothing yet” Chris sighed “But Gerhard has been taken care of, so has my sister. So, with that out of the way, let’s hope Scott found a way to defeat the Anuk-Ite and save us all. Nothing on Monroe yet” Theo nodded, resting back against the wall as Chris looked around again, turning to him one more time “Where’s Melissa?”

“With Mason and Nolan, checking the floor for other victims” Chris smiled, a hand on his shoulder as he stood, going down the hallway Theo had gestured towards.

Theo moved back to watching Liam, his fingers fisting in his hair. Theo sighed, his forehead resting on the side of Liam’s head. Theo let his arm circle around Liam’s waist, just holding the wolf. It was like being _hypnotized,_ the steady, soft thumping of Liam’s heart shutting out every other sound as Theo just sat there, waiting for him to open his eyes. And Theo wasn’t sure how long had passed before Liam stirred. Theo watched as Liam complained, mumbling under his breath. Theo smiled, rolling his eyes as Liam reached for him immediately.

“Theo…”

“I’m here” Theo closed the gap between Liam’s outstretched hand, their fingers intertwined in weird ways, but it worked. It worked because Theo kissed his knuckles, brushing his lips against his skin softly “I’m right here, baby”

“I _really_ like it when you call me that...” Liam whispered, his eyes closed, but with a soft smile on his handsome face. Liam blinked again, finally looking up at Theo, still a bit drowsy, but fighting the urge to sleep again. His grip on Theo’s hand tightened “Am I still alive?”

“God, yes” Theo smiled, chuckling a wet laugh. He wasn’t going to cry, he _refused_ to. But then Liam touched his face and his posture cracked. He felt the undeniable hot sting of tears behind his shut eyelids and, when Liam moved closer, kissing his chin softly, they rolled free “We both are"

“Good” Liam whispered, snuggling closer, wiping Theo’s tears away gently, but never asking him to stop crying “For a second there I thought I had dreamt the whole thing… us”

“No, it wasn’t a dream” Theo whispered, one last tear rolling as he looked down at Liam. The Beta smiled up at him, wiping that tear too “Fuck, you _scared_ me…”

“I’m here” Liam smiled, his arm lifting to pass around Theo’s shoulders. Theo pulled him closer, the Beta now sitting on the Chimera’s lap, straddled. Liam closed his eyes, sighing happily as he rested his forehead against Theo’s, his hands in his hair, breathing him in.  Theo had his hands tightly around Liam’s back, hugging him, tugging at him, almost as if to make sure he was still there, still alive, still _his_ “You _sure_ this isn’t a dream? Because I’m pretty sure I dreamed of something like this once” Theo huffed, pulling back to smirk at Liam his best ‘Theo smirk’.

“Are you finally admitting you’ve fantasized about me, Dunbar?” Theo teased, extremely happy to see some color return to Liam’s face. But Liam didn’t blush or roll his eyes or even push back with some smart ass reply. Instead, he just smiled at the Chimera, his hand pulling softly at Theo’s hair.

“Well, considering we _did_ make out in the elevator and you pretty much saved my life… Yes, I'm admitting I fantasized _all sorts_ of things about you, Raeken”

Liam whispered against Theo’s mouth, the Chimera’s lips parted as he took short breaths, allowing Liam’s coffee aroma to invade him, hips bucking into the Beta’s, who simply smiled devilishly at Theo. The kiss that followed was better than anything either of them could have ever expected. Theo had his hands on Liam’s waist, the Beta werewolf pulling softly at the Chimera’s hair and shirt, his tongue making Theo moan, opening up as he rested against the wall, relaxing under Liam.

Liam pulled back faster than he would have liked, but, still, he wasn’t fully, recovered. He looked around, caressing Theo’s neck and shoulders when the Chimera rested his forehead against his chest. The hunters were now tied, which meant someone had stopped by. Corey was nowhere to be found, neither were Mason, Nolan or Melissa. Theo assured him everyone was fine and that the hospital was back under their control.

“We shouldn’t stay here” Liam whispered “We might have the hospital back, but we have no clue what’s happening out there and I’m guessing we’re not done yet”

Theo nodded, sighing as he stood, Liam yelping. The werewolf rolled his eyes at Liam’s clear display of strength, smiling fondly before kissing the Chimera. But, before Liam could start walking down the hall, still a bit wobbly, Theo grabbed his hand, the boy looking down at it when Liam looked back at him.

“ _Please…_  just… no more dying today, okay?” Theo whispered. Liam smiled, stepping closer and touching Theo’s chin to make the Chimera look up. There was fear in Theo’s eyes, a fear that ran deep, almost embedded in his very soul “I can’t lose y…”

“No more dying today, I swear” Liam kissed Theo’s mouth, squeezing his hand. Theo sighed, nodding. Liam pulled him softly down the hall and Theo followed. He would _always_ follow.

 

* * *

 

 

They didn’t let go of each other’s hands, even when they walked into the school library with Chris, Melissa, Corey, Mason and Nolan. They had won, had received the news on their way over. Theo had slouched against Liam, the Beta just hugging him back. Mason rested his forehead against Liam’s briefly, celebrating they had made it.

But it wasn’t over, not quite. Though the Anuk-Ite was gone, which meant they had been able to drive the fight away from Beacon Hills, Monroe was on the run. But none of them were too eager to start chasing, enjoying the taste of victory for a second. Liam could enjoy this, but he was kind of eager to head back to school, finish his two final years and then disappear. With Theo.

Scott looked like crap, with dried blood on his face, to which Melissa had nearly passed out at. But, still, he worried more about Liam than himself, as always. Malia was sitting next to him, her hands on his shoulders when they all had walked in.

“What on Earth happened to you?” Scott asked, first looking at Liam’s blood stained shirt, then with his eyes fixed on their hands, moving on to staring angrily at Theo, like Scott was then sure it had been his fault or something.

“Gabe with a machine gun happened, back at the hospital” Liam squeezed Theo’s hand, looking over at the Chimera, who had his eyes on the floor, but smiled softly at hearing Liam’s next words “Theo saved my life”

Stiles, of all people, clapped Theo on the shoulder, nodding towards him. Lydia, with her motherly instincts, came to kiss and hug him, who smiled at her, never letting go of Theo’s hand.

“So this is the famous Theo, huh?” That’s when Derek stepped up. And man, was he _huge_. Derek Hale wasn’t much taller than Theo, but was a large wall of pure muscle in comparison, standing there with his arms crossed across his chest, looking at Theo with inspecting eyes.

“Derek, right?” Theo answered, swallowing past the lump in his throat, trying to sound as nonchalant as Theoly possible. Which wasn’t hard for a Chimera, but not when it came to Derek, who was one of the only two born werewolves in the room and the only Evolved Wolf there. The slight faltering in Theo’s heartbeat was enough for Derek to know Theo was afraid of him. Liam didn’t like it one bit, how Theo squeezed his hand tight, eyes locked with Derek’s like that. Liam felt his blood thicken, the shift rise inside him, ready to burst. 

“Good, you’ve heard of me” the Evolved One spoke with a mischievous grin.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Thanks for reading!


	3. Just Beneath The Surface

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Liam and Theo get comfortable...

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Ah, Derek....

_'The people_

_who consider you weak_

_have not yet noticed_

_the wolf hiding_

_behind your eyes,_

_nor the flames_

_inside your soul._

 

_Let them think_

_you are weak_

_and do what_

_wolves and fire_

_do best._

 

_Surprise them_

_when they least expect it'_

_\- Nikita Gill, Wolf and Flame_

 

“Good, you’ve heard of me” the Evolved Ove spoke with a mischievous grin “Because I’ve heard _all_ about you”.

Then Theo was introduced to Derek’s closed first, which caught everyone by surprise, especially Liam. Theo stumbled back a couple of steps, his hand letting go of Liam’s to hold his jaw, spitting blood on the floor. Theo closed his eyes, the pain unlike anything he had ever experienced. He was sure it had something to do with Derek having such an extra set of abilities.

“Derek…” Stiles spoke his name, not sure what the wolf was going to do next, taking a step forward. Derek simply smiled at him, turning to look at Theo one more time.

“Was that really fucking necessary?!” Liam yelled, shoving Derek’s shoulder, like that made any difference “This wasn’t the first time he saved my life, _Stiles!_ Control your _boyfriend!_ Tell him!”

“I didn’t hit him for you, for this Gabe person trying to kill you” Derek spoke, his large hand stopping Liam from hitting him again, this time it could've actually hurt. Before Theo could move, Derek took large steps towards him, standing in front of the Chimera.

Derek grabbed Theo by the back of his neck, Theo’s eyes flashing yellow without his permission as his hands immediately reached for Derek’s arm. Theo looked over to Liam, who seemed ready to attack, claws out and a warning growl truly loud out of his chest. Any other day and it would’ve been cute, _hot_ even, to Theo, but not today. Not after Liam had nearly died mere hours before. His body wasn’t ready for that kind of adrenaline, there was _no way_ he’d survive fighting Derek.

“I hit you…” Derek spoke, forcing Theo to pay attention to him again, reminding Theo’s brain of the throbbing on his jaw. The bone had probably broken, snapping and reconnecting to his cheekbone and cranium “... because of Stiles” Stiles threw his arms in the air, as if he had told Derek _not_ to do something like this. Theo could practically _hear_ the kid’s eye roll from across the room “For his father, for everything you did to them when I wasn’t here to protect my pack, even for what you did to Liam”

Theo closed his eyes then, bracing himself for whatever Derek had in store for him. Because if Derek wanted to make him pay, then Theo wasn’t going to walk out of that fight, at least, not without help. Derek would make him crawl, beg for his life, because that's what Theo deserved. 

“Derek, let him _go_ ” Liam growled once more, no longer a warning, just sounding angry. Derek smirked at Theo’s closed eyes and at Liam’s words “You don’t _know_ him, so let him go. I don’t care that you are some badass full shift wolf now or whatever you guys call it, I will _not_ let you hurt him”

Theo snapped his eyes open, turning to look at Liam, but the Beta was too far gone to care. Theo was the only one who knew just how much power Liam truly had, hidden just beneath the surface, had seen it in action. Liam would sometimes get blinded by his rage, but there was so much  _energy_ stored under his skin, inside his every cell Theo actually feared for Derek, for a second. Because Theo could _see,_ there in the school library, the fire inside Liam's very soul, the wolf inside of Liam ready to come out and play. They all understimated Liam, but _he_ was the one who truly had all the power. Most wolves spent their _entire_ lives trying to gain the kind of power that had come  _naturally_ to Liam, from his human nature to the wolf that now inhabited him. Theo wanted to yell at him to shut the _fuck_ up, for once in his Goddam life, though. His body just  _wasn't ready_. Derek didn’t move, acting oddly amused at Liam’s behaviour.

“He’s got it _bad_ for you, huh?” Derek whispered, so low not even Theo was sure he had _actually_ heard it. But Derek’s smile only grew larger at Theo's arched brow, his hand suddenly going much softer on Theo’s neck, the Chimera gasping gently when the pain was gone. All of it. _Gone._ His jaw wasn’t hurting anymore, probably wouldn’t even click if he tried opening it. Liam took a step forward when Theo gasped, but stopped when Derek spoke again, this time louder “And thank you, for everything you did for them when I wasn’t here to protect my pack” Derek took a step back, still holding Theo’s neck “ _Especially_   for Liam”

“I had it coming…” Theo blurted out, relaxed somehow, not like Derek had just been ready to rip him to shreds “I did... the Doctors told me to do all these _horrible_ things and, at first, I thought I was doing the right thing… and then...”

“I know, Stiles told me about them” Stiles’ voice came to them in an unamused huff, almost as if Derek had coaxed the information out of him “Nice people, these Doctors, huh?” Derek joked, but didn’t truly smile, not like before “The truth is, none of us knows or ever _will_ know what they put you through. We’ll probably never understand it, but thank you, sincerely, thank you” Derek took two steps back “And I’m sorry I punched you” he spoke, already making his way to Stiles.

“No, you’re not” Theo smirked, touching his jaw, Derek smiling wider at him in return. Theo watched, still kind of baffled, awed, as Stiles smiled at Derek, the kid passing his arms around the man’s waist. Derek kissed the top of Stiles’ head, breathing him in. Liam huffed angrily, aiming for the door, not even stopping when he reached for Theo’s hand, ignoring Mason’s lingering looks.

Theo followed Liam outside, knowing he had been angry at Derek. It was sweet, really, that Liam had been concerned about Theo. But Theo knew better than to tease him about this, no matter all the great one liners that popped into his head, all the words that would have made Liam get all flustered and would’ve made his cheeks get all pink in that _Liam_ way Theo had grown to love.

“Are you okay?” Liam asked, pushing Theo softly against the side of the Chimera’s truck. Theo smiled, resting back and letting Liam examine him, though he knew the Beta wasn’t going to find anything.

“Yeah, he took the pain” Liam rolled his eyes, mumbling, probably cursing Derek under his breath “You were about to jump him, weren’t you?” Theo spoke, unable to stop himself from reaching for Liam’s waist, slowly, _gently_. Liam had his arms crossed across his chest, wanting to keep his tough act up, but moving to stand in between Theo’s legs anyway, enjoying how warm the Chimera was. Theo rested his cheek on the side of Liam’s neck, sighing.

“Damn right I was” Liam whispered after a few minutes of comfortable silence, reaching for Theo’s keys inside the front pocket of his jeans, smiling at the Chimera when Theo complained, moving away from him to go to the driver’s side “Love the guy, but he shouldn’t have just straight up _punched_ you like that”

“I meant it when I said I had it coming” Liam opened his mouth to argue, but Theo didn’t let him, getting into the truck and shutting the doors, amused that Liam wanted to drive. The Beta had never done it before and Theo was interested in seeing how it would turn out “ _You_ know I changed, but I still have to prove myself to _them_. For all they care, I should still be in Hell. If Malia could have her way with me, I doubt I’d still be breathing”

“You ain’t gotta prove anyone _shit,_ alright? You’ve taken enough for me already and I’m not even talking about Derek” Liam spoke, buckling his seatbelt and sliding the key into the ignition “Did you see Scott’s face?” Liam turned to look at Theo before turning the key and it was enough for the Chimera to know exactly what moment Liam was talking about.

“God, I thought he was going to _kill_ me right there” Theo smirked, thinking back to how shocked the True Alpha had looked. Back then, Theo had been way too tired to find it entertaining, but, now, as he thought back to it, it was quite amusing. Liam’s hand found its way to his thigh, though, distracting him from his thoughts. Theo looked down at Liam’s hand, enjoying how warm it felt.

“Hey, the ‘no more dying today’ promise goes to you too” Liam said, Theo rolling his eyes but smiling, his knuckles brushing against Liam’s.

Liam drove them to his house, though at first he had some trouble with Theo’s truck. Theo taught him a couple of secrets, a smile finding its way to his face without his permission when he saw Liam’s tongue poking out in concentration as he listened to every word. And in a few seconds they were on their way.

Which didn’t take long, Liam didn’t live that far from the school. Liam parked, pulling out his keys and leading them in. Once inside, they immediately took their ruined shoes off, trying not to destroy the floor or the carpet by the living room. They were covered in blood and only God knows what else, their clothes already dried and quite uncomfortable.

Theo followed Liam upstairs, the Beta running a hand through his hair, getting as much of it away from his face as he could. Theo remembered he had been wearing a beanie, rolling his eyes, frustrated, when he didn’t find it inside his pocket. It had been a long shot, really. After the fight, after _everything_ , there was no way it would still be there.

Liam led Theo through a door, a hand on the back of his head as he turned to look at the Chimera. Theo smirked, knowing _immediately_ he stood in Liam’s room. Not only because suddenly Liam was trying to hide anything he thought Theo shouldn’t see, but because the room reeked of him, of his cologne, his wolf’s scent. The room had clearly grown with Liam, though Theo knew for a fact Liam wasn’t from Beacon Hills, some of those things had traveled with him.

There was lacrosse gear on the floor, on a corner. Theo arched a brow, finding that Liam had a large desk in his room and it was covered with different sized books, notebooks, a laptop, pencils of all kinds and shapes. Theo’s hands itched to explore Liam’s mess, find out _every_ little thing about him, but he held back. There would be plenty of time for that. Theo turned around when Liam cleared his throat, blushing slightly.

“Uh… bathroom’s the door on the right, make yourself at home” Liam pointed to the correct door, not sure what to do with himself once the words were out of his mouth. Theo smirked, taking steps towards the Beta, stopping him from leaving by grabbing his hand.

Liam looked back at Theo with bright, expectant eyes, blushing all the way up to his ears when he understood what Theo wanted. Liam was simply oblivious by nature, but, today, he knew _exactly_ what Theo wanted. Liam looked down, unable to stop himself from smiling, his stomach flipping in anticipation. Theo could smell Liam’s anxiety, though he was glad that Liam didn’t fight him when Theo started pulling him towards said bathroom.

Nor did he fight Theo when the Chimera started undressing him, getting rid of whatever was left of their clothes. It was all very slow, how they both undid buttons and pulled at shirts. Theo smiled, encouraging Liam to help the Chimera out of his t-shirt once Liam reached for the hem of it, the wolf’s hands moving on to unbuckling Theo’s belt next. Theo closed his eyes, biting his lip as he smiled, his hands on Liam’s shoulders and back, massaging the strong muscles.

Theo kissed Liam at some point, along the way, never letting go of his mouth for too long after that. Liam smiled, feeling breathless. Liam had always felt heavy, grounded after the Bite, but in that very moment, he felt weightless, with only Theo’s hands to keep him on Earth. Theo let Liam have his way with him, which surprised even himself. Theo was surprised to find he was more than glad to let Liam in.

Liam turned the shower on once they got inside, completely and ridiculously self aware for the first time in his life. He hated how fast his heart was beating inside his chest, like a stallion ready for war and hated it even more because Theo could hear it, clear as day.

“Baby, your heart’s gonna jump out of your chest…” Theo teased, his voice controlled and soft as he reached for Liam’s waist when the Beta turned around once he finally got the water temperature _just_ right.

“It’s what you do to me” Liam teased right back. Which wasn’t a lie, it _was_ all Theo’s fault. Theo smiled, taking a step closer. Theo liked it when Liam talked back, liked it when he used all of his wit on him. Liam hugged the Chimera’s shoulders, closing his eyes at how good it felt to have his skin against Theo’s, with nothing, absolutely _nothing_ to get in the way. It was overwhelming at first, for both of them, something they had never thought they could have, could give each other.

Liam knew he was blushing, embarrassed to say the least, but he couldn’t care less. Theo smiled to himself, watching Liam as droplets of water ran down his perfect skin. The Beta gasped, laughter bubbling out of his chest as Theo licked a _long_ line on his neck, tasting the water, tasting _him_. Theo had dreamed of this, of Liam for far too long to deny himself the things he wanted to do to the boy he held in his arms.

“Or is it the fact that we’re naked?” Theo whispered, that same smirk on his lips as he savored Liam in his mouth, watching the wolf huff, almost as if he was rolling his eyes behind his closed eyelids. Theo loved just how well he knew Liam, knowing exactly what he was thinking just by looking at him. It was a new feeling, though as old as time inside his chest. It was like Liam's mind was an extension of his own, Liam's body a part of his. 

“Jeez, aren’t you romantic” Liam joked, his forehead coming to rest on Theo’s shoulder. The chimera smiled, reaching for the soap and getting started on washing away all of the dried blood on Liam’s skin. The Beta whimpered from time to time, whenever Theo found a sore muscle or just to let him know how good it felt.

Theo squeezed his eyes shut, feeling breathless all out of a sudden when he found a tiny scar with his middle finger, where the bullet had exited Liam’s body. Liam bleeding out on the hospital floor immediately came back to his mind, and _never_ left, no matter how hard Theo tried to erase it. It was there, _burned_ on the back of his closed eyelids.

Liam gently reached for Theo’s hand, moving it lower, _away_ , squeezing the Chimera’s neck to snap him out of it. Theo kissed his shoulder, his lips rough and warm. And they didn’t talk about it, didn’t have to. They knew the scar wasn’t going to be there the next morning. And they could finally lay it to rest.

Liam smirked when Theo started working on his abs, the Chimera kissing his neck slowly, tongue tracing his Adam’s apple softly as Liam moved his neck, giving Theo more space, his lips dragging deliciously, torturous. Theo cleaned Liam slowly, moving to look at his skin every couple of minutes to make sure he got it all. Liam reached for the shampoo bottle on instinct once Theo was done, squeezing some onto his hand.

“Keep your eyes closed, okay?” Liam whispered, unable to hold back a moan when Theo’s soapy hands moved to the small of his back, all the way down to his ass, slow, almost as if testing the waters, waiting for Liam’s reaction, squeezing the cheeks firmly when all the Beta did was whimper and gasp, smiling at the Chimera, biting his lip.

Liam washed Theo’s hair, the Chimera smiling, even if only to himself, inside. No one had ever washed his hair for him. _Scratch that._ Theo had never even taken a shower with anyone before Liam, let alone have anyone washing his hair. But Liam did, no questions asked, all gentle hands and calm words, kisses and laughs. Theo, were he still the same psycho he used to be, would’ve been sick to his stomach at this, at himself even. But it felt _right_. It felt right to feel the soft, steady _thump_ of Liam’s heart under his fingers, under his tongue. It felt like Theo had found the one thing he had been missing his whole life, a puzzle piece that fit perfectly, a finished masterpiece.

Liam pushed his head back softly, washing all the shampoo away, kissing his cheek every couple of seconds, going down his neck, his gentle fingers massaging Theo’s scalp. Theo bit his lip, feeling himself relaxed, like never before in his life. Liam kissed his neck one last time before shutting the water, grabbing towels for them. They took their time to dry themselves, just smiling at each other as they walked back into Liam’s room.

Liam walked into his closet, leaving the door open. Theo would’ve taken that opportunity to snoop around, but found his eyes following Liam. Theo arched a brow when Liam looked back at him, his eyes inquisitive, going up and down his half naked body, hand on his chin, hand on his waist before turning back to his clothes. Theo smiled when Liam came back, the towel that was around his waist barely holding itself there. And _God_ , was Theo _begging_ for it to fall.

“We might have to buy you some new clothes” Liam spoke, throwing some sweats, t-shirts and a hoodie on his bed, turning to head back to his closet “I’m not sure I have many that would fit you”

“That’s fine” Theo teased, taking a step forward and holding Liam’s arm before the Beta could walk away from him. Liam turned to him, their bodies now flushed against each other as the Chimera hugged his shoulders close “We don’t have to wear _any_ ”

Liam rolled his eyes, but didn’t stop Theo from kissing him. Liam let his hands roam down the front of Theo’s body, circling his waist. Theo grabbed the back of Liam’s neck, glad to open his mouth to let the Beta in. Liam knew it was getting out of hand and where this was going, but after everything he had gone through that day,  _all_ he wanted was to hand control over to Theo, someone he trusted, someone he knew would protect him. Hell, Theo had proved it more than once already.

But Liam pulled back, Theo chasing his lips right after, the Chimera opening his eyes when he couldn’t find them. And Theo found Liam looking like he couldn’t find the right words to say.

“I’ve never…” Liam heard himself whispering, completely aware of Theo’s eyes on his lips, the Chimera licking his own, want clear in the way he held Liam. Theo had his fingers in the Beta’s hair, his eyes suddenly all soft on him. Theo smiled, taking a deep breath and nodding.

“It’s okay, we don’t have to” Theo rested their foreheads together, but Liam pulled away a moment later, his hands coming up to rest on Theo’s smooth chest.

“But I want to, _I do_ , I just never… had sex with another guy” Liam spoke. He _had_ had sex before, but never with another man. He had thought about it, had found himself aroused by the idea, but had never found someone he trusted enough to try, had never even dreamed of finding Theo, of being involved with him like _this_ “I mean, I know how it goes and all, but I’ve never actually done it”

“It’s up to you, baby” Theo whispered, hands cupping the sides of Liam’s face, thumbs caressing the skin softly. Theo had struggled with actually being able to feel for a long time, after being ‘released’ by the Doctors, before finding Scott. He had fucked around a lot, trying to understand his body, the way it reacted to the outside world. He wouldn’t let Liam go through the same “We’ll do whatever you want to do”

So Liam smiled, closing the gap between their mouths. Theo smiled against his lips, arms around Liam’s shoulders as the Beta took a step into his space, hands on Theo’s towel. The Chimera pulled away from the kiss, arched brow and signature smirk on as Liam smiled, pulling at it and letting it fall, innocent expression on his face, to the ground.

“You won’t be needing that...” Liam whispered, much to Theo’s delight.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Really, really, really sexy times ahead... :)
> 
> Let me know what you think.
> 
> Thanks for all the love, guys <3


	4. That's When It All Changed.

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> *bump & grind starts playing in the back ground*
> 
> TAGS HAVE BEEN UPDATED! Due to all this sexiness and other ideas I had while writing it :) So, please, check them out.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Okay, guys, first of all, thank you so much for all the love you've shown to this story, really, you guys are incredible!
> 
> Second, yesterday, here where I live, there was a devastating storm and I had no electricity at home for hoooooooours! And I was so pissed because I was writing this very chapter when it started and I had to stop and I was scared I wouldn't be able to tap back into it, but hopefully, I did!
> 
> So, here it is.

_'The way you feel when you kiss him_

_for the first time._

_Like fire within your bones._

_Like your soul has returned to the water._

_Like every part of you that came_

_from a dead star_

_is alive again'_

_-Nikita Gill, That First Kiss._

 

“You won’t be needing that” Liam whispered, much to Theo’s delight. The Chimera smiled wide, reaching in to return the favor when Liam stopped him “Just… _tell_ me, talk to me. Tell me what I’m supposed to do”

“Baby, all I need is for you to relax and enjoy it” Theo kissed Liam’s nose gently, making the Beta smile, biting his bottom lip as Theo tugged at the towel until Liam let go of it, letting it fall and kicking it to the side, along with his own. Theo kept his eyes locked with Liam’s, only letting them drift to Liam’s lips “Let me know if I’m on the right track or not”

And so, with a smile from Liam, Theo grabbed him by the thighs and hoisted him up, the Beta yelping in surprise before closing his legs around Theo’s waist in a reflex. Liam had a Queen sized bed in the middle of his room, in between two bedside tables, large enough for Theo to have _plenty_ of room for all of the things he planned on doing to Liam. Theo put Liam down calmly, no matter how much he wanted to just _dive_ into him, into his skin, his mouth, his eyes. They were going to enjoy this, make it last all night if they could. The sun hadn’t set yet, but the two creatures of the night weren’t going to hide from the light of day. They weren’t ashamed of how they felt for each other, of finally having something good.

Liam was still a tad embarrassed and unsure of what to do, but was so incredibly damn _responsive_ to everything and anything Theo did and had an extreme need to be in constant contact with the Chimera. Not that Theo was complaining. After craving Liam for so long, he was willing to give him _anything._ Theo was kneeling on the bed, legs on either side of Liam’s hips as they kissed and explored, taking their time to memorize every curve and every muscle. Liam’s hands were warm, _almost_ to the point of being too much, but Theo never let the Beta take them away from his skin, begging for Liam’s touch with open mouthed whimpers Theo had no shame in letting out.

Theo had gone into a five minute, full on belly laughter when he found out just how Liam was extremely _ticklish_ in some places. The Beta crossed his arms, trying, seriously _trying_ and miserably failing to hold back the smile that wanted to come out at hearing Theo laughing, the Beta falling in love with it immediately. He had heard Theo chuckling, at best, but never truly laughing. And it was a sound straight out of a movie or something, like music to his ears.

“Goddamn it, you’re so beautiful…” Theo whispered, still breathless from laughter, voice reverent and eyes full of devotion as he rested his hands on either side of Liam’s head, staring down at him. Liam smiled, lifting himself so he could pull Theo down into him, meeting him halfway, the two of them smiling into the kiss.

Theo moved his legs, one at a time, so he could lift Liam’s, getting them around his waist. Liam smiled against Theo’s mouth, hands in Theo’s almost completely dry hair, sometimes his neck, thumbs caressing his cheeks. When they pulled away, with Liam’s legs now tightly holding Theo in place, Liam smiled, looking up at Theo’s hair.

“I had no idea you had curly hair…” Liam whispered, smiling when Theo rolled his eyes, fondly looking at the way Liam was looking at him, playing with the soft, somewhat fuzzy curls of his chocolate brown hair, almost as if awed by them.

“Oh, my worst nightmare, you mean?” Liam laughed, shaking his head.

“I love it…” Theo smiled at Liam’s words, going from resting his weight on his hands to resting it all on his elbows, to better hug and kiss the Beta. Liam’s legs circled Theo’s waist better, tighter, keeping him secure, _safe._ The Chimera smiled, rocking his hips, knowing it’d get a reaction out of Liam. And it was _beautiful_ to watch. Liam, with his eyes closed, throat exposed as he threw his head back in bliss at the feeling, jaw going slack, hands stilling on Theo’s shoulders.

And Theo would _never_ pass on that opportunity. Theo had a hand fisted on the covers, right next to Liam’s head, his arm under the Beta’s. Liam’s arms were hugging his back, with Theo’s other hand on Liam’s right thigh, fingers digging into his flesh. The Chimera let their hips rock together again. And again, and again, just rocking. Rocking their hips first softly, then a tad more roughly, ducking his head to lavish at the exposed skin of Liam’s throat.

Liam moaned, completely trapped in Theo’s embrace and not feeling claustrophobic, _at all._ His hands explored Theo’s back, arms and shoulders, all the way down to his slim waist, feeling the muscles flex and stretch with each movement of his body against Liam’s. Theo let out shaky breaths against Liam’s skin, inhaling deeply between his kisses, as if he couldn’t get enough of the Beta, but had to stop and breathe anyway. Liam experimented, thrusting, rocking back, causing Theo to growl, pinning Liam down to the bed, fighting Liam for control.

Liam whined, still rocking with Theo, who just huffed, defeated. They both moaned, finding their own perfect rhythm, their skins growing warmer by the second. They were perfectly aware of their dicks growing harder, but this was enough for now, the touching, the grinding, the kissing. Until it wasn’t.

“Fuck, Theo…” Liam gasped, his chest up and down as if he had been running a marathon and Theo knew, then, that the Beta wasn’t going to last long. Theo smirked, feeling heat pooling inside him at the idea of bringing Liam to the edge, just like this.

Theo pulled back from Liam, standing from the bed completely, smiling at the wolf when Liam growled, complaining, his hips still slightly chasing the warmth from Theo’s body. Liam, through his hazed mind, watched Theo standing over him. Theo, with his biceps and his pectorals, his kiss swollen lips, amazing hands and _really_ hard cock. But Liam didn’t have to even think about that last part, because Theo disappeared from his vision.

Theo disappeared from his vision to let his mouth find its way to Liam’s rock solid dick. _And damn, it was a nice dick,_ Theo thought to himself. Theo wanted one day to suck him off properly, bring Liam to his knees the right way, but right now, he wanted to taste him, _needed_ to taste him. Liam screamed, hands going straight for Theo’s hair as the Chimera sucked him off, _hard and fast._

Liam tried holding back, tried making it last longer, but Liam had never had anyone going down on him. And Theo knew exactly what he was doing. Theo let his hand out, grabbing Liam’s and letting the Beta squeeze it as much as he wanted. Though Liam playing with his hair was hot as fuck and all, he still wanted to have some left by the end of the night. Theo knew Liam had never experienced anything like this, so he just let the Beta enjoy it, not saying anything. Liam’s hips snapped up into Theo’s mouth, the Beta trying to warn him, but he could barely talk, merely mumbling incoherently.

Theo felt his own cock leaking, hard and painful. Liam had been the reason for Theo’s perpetual case of blue balls for _months_ now and just the idea of having Liam’s dick in his mouth made his whole body shiver with want. Liam fucked his mouth, blunt nails digging into the back of Theo’s hand as he came, arching his back with a moan that would have made _anyone_ hard, sinful and blissed out, hand on the back of Theo’s neck to hold him there.

Liam didn’t exactly go soft once he came, which made Theo very happy. After swallowing Liam’s load and cleaning him up, letting go of Liam wasn’t something Theo had been looking forward to. Liam had his eyes closed, panting, relaxed, hissing when Theo’s warm mouth finally let his dick go free. Theo would’ve gladly made Liam hard again, starting from scratch, but he didn’t think he could possibly wait that long.

“One day…” Theo spoke, coming to kneel on the bed again “I’m gonna give you a proper blowjob” Liam groaned, eyes still closed as he covered his face with his hands. Theo smiled, hands sliding up Liam’s toned abs, the Chimera kissing his chest and sucking on a pectoral softly “And it’s gonna feel so fucking good you’ll never want my mouth _anywhere_ else…”

Liam chuckled, biting his lip, not doubting Theo for a second. In those few moments he had Theo’s mouth on him, Liam had felt what real devotion was like. Giving pleasure without taking any to yourself. There were different ways to do it, but it was the first time someone did something even remotely like it to _Liam_. And of course it was Theo. Liam opened his eyes, not knowing if it was the pleasure, the adrenaline or the way Theo was looking at him, all lust and want, but he would’ve never, under anycircumstances, spoken the words that came out of his mouth next.

“I can think of something else for you to suck…”

And just like that, right before Theo’s very eyes, Liam Dunbar, who had been all embarrassed mere minutes before, who had just _cum_ in Theo’s freaking mouth, started turning on the bed, so he could lay on his stomach, a devilish grin on his face at seeing Theo’s eyes going wide, shocked, to say the least. Theo was at a total loss for words, having to bite back the moan that got _dangerously_ close to escaping his mouth as he watched Liam’s back muscles dance under his perfect skin, the Beta resting on his elbows, head hanging low.

“You never cease to amaze me, baby…” Theo whispered once his brain started functioning again, not sure if he could get through _actually_ eating Liam out without cumming, but he was sure as _hell_ going to try.

“Then get to sucking, Theo” Liam whispered back, wiggling his ass a bit at the Chimera, inviting, _begging_. Theo’s hands grabbed his hips harshly, in a long, swift moments, snapping into action, a low growl out of his chest, making Liam smile, the Beta moving to hide his face on the bed. He had only ever seen people do this sort of thing in porn, to be honest.

But they weren’t faking it when they moaned and cried out in pleasure. Because Liam did too. Theo started small, swiping the tip of his tongue right over his hole, the rim blinking at him, almost. Liam held tightly to the covers, almost feelings his claws coming out and digging into the mattress. Liam had never felt that deliciously close to losing control before and he whined and whimpered, begging for Theo to give him more.

Theo moaned into his ass, watching Liam’s every reaction, what he liked and what made his body shiver and his growl to turn into a soft pleading sound. Theo spread Liam’s ass wide, tongue desperate to open his hole, fuck into it nice and slow. Liam moaned, groaning from within his throat, fucking back into Theo’s face as the Chimera kept going, biting his asscheeks a couple of times, playful, not wanting the rimming to be too much all at once.

Theo massaged Liam’s back, going down to his powerful thighs, all while his tongue got his hole nicely open, wet and relaxed. Theo’s hands squeezed Liam’s thighs, the Chimera smiling when the wolf flexed them. Theo suddenly wanted to watch Liam play. He knew Liam was good at Lacrosse, but Theo just wanted to watch Liam doing something he was passionate about, watch his body react to it.

Liam couldn’t take it anymore. His hole was aching, but not in a way that was even remotely painful, his dick already hard and needy, desperate for whatever kind of release it could get. Theo kept going, relentless, fast, then slow, fast, then slow again, delicate and rough. Liam cried out, his dick so hard it was leaking, the head a reddish purple. Theo smiled when Liam started humping the bed, dick against the soft material of the cover, knowing it wouldn’t give him what he wanted, ass back against his tongue.

“Stop, stop, please, I can’t take it anymore…” Liam breathed out, panting, hand reaching for Theo. Theo stopped, eyes fixed on Liam’s hips snapping against the mattress, his ass wiggling to expose his raw, open, red, blinking hole. Theo bit his lips, wanting to dive right back in, but stopped himself “I need you in me, Theo… _now_ ”

“Yeah, baby?” Theo had his hands on Liam’s waist, helping set the Beta back on his back. Liam looked up at Theo, his head against the mattress, his dick red from rubbing against the cover. Liam licked a long line from his palm to fingers, reaching for his dick immediately, hips bucking into the pressure. Theo could watch this forever, Liam pleasuring himself, a finger going into his hole at some point probably. Theo bit his lips, watching Liam’s fingers tug at his dick, the movements erratic in desperation.

Theo growled, though. Today wasn’t the day he’d sit back and enjoy the show. Theo slapped his hand away, holding it down on the bed.

“I’ll take care of you, Liam” It was more than a fact, it was a promise. Theo wasn’t talking only about Liam’s sexual needs, but about _anything_.

Liam pulled him down for a kiss, legs opening for Theo to come stay in between them. Liam rested back on the mattress, biting his swollen bottom lip as he watched Theo spit generously onto his hand, closing his blue eyes and biting his own lips as he got his dick wet, stroking himself slowly. Liam whimpered, which got a smile out of Theo.

“I got you, baby” Theo grabbed Liam’s hand, their fingers intertwined above the Beta’s head as Theo looked down, lining his dick with Liam’s ass, slowly guiding it it. Theo looked back up, lost inside Liam’s blown, lustful, blue eyes “I got you…”

Liam kept his eyes on Theo’s too, even after he closed his, the Chimera’s face open for the first time. For the first time ever since they had met, Liam saw _everything,_ Theo wanting him to or not. Liam witnessed Theo’s jaw going lax, his lips in a hiss as his tongue poked out in utter pleasure. Liam smiled when Theo threw his head back, brows relaxed as bliss was the only expression adorning his stupidly handsome face, his cock warm and thick inside of Liam, filling him completely.

Theo took deep breaths, looking down to watch his cock going in. Theo reached for Liam’s other hand, his eyes never leaving the point where they were finally joined. Liam intertwined their fingers, Theo holding him pinned against the mattress. Theo squeezed their hands, his eyes then coming to watch Liam’s face, a smile on his lips, hair falling in front of  his eyes as little beads of sweat showed on his forehead.

They stopped for a few seconds, with Theo finally settled inside Liam. Theo inhaled through his nose, shaking his head to get the hair out of his eyes, watching Liam’s face for any sign of discomfort. But all Liam did was tug at their hands until Theo let them go, reaching down for Theo’s shoulders, bringing the Chimera completely down into him, moaning deeply at how that made Theo’s dick change positions inside of him. Theo was _fucking_ huge. Theo hissed, his eyes shut tight as he tried controlling himself, hands fisting the covers above Liam’s head.

“Fuck, Liam…” Theo cursed under his breath, his forehead now resting on Liam’s chest. Liam held him close, his legs tight around Theo’s waist, now that they were one, their bodies so connected it was hard to tell where one ended and the other began “You’re so fucking tight, baby…”

Liam smiled, breathless, squeezing his hole ever so slightly, chuckling at hearing Theo’s hiss. Theo pulled back from Liam’s ass, fucking as _slowly_ as he could back in, hands letting go of the covers to hold Liam, first the arms the Beta had around his back, then his torso and finally his waist.

They watched each other, almost as if to make sure that what they were doing was okay. Theo needed to know Liam was enjoying this too, this was all for him. Liam closed his eyes every few seconds, still not believing how good it felt, Theo inside him, Theo all over him, _Theo._

Theo picked up his pace slowly, but steadily. The Chimera watched as Liam moaned louder, how he hugged Theo’s back tighter, then his waist, urging him on, begging for more. So Theo gave him more, gave him anything he wanted.

“Faster…. faster, Theo” Liam breathed out, biting down on Theo’s shoulder gently. Theo growled, grabbing Liam’s thighs and pulling his legs away from around his waist, pushing them open, kneeling on the bed so he could go deeper into Liam. The Beta screamed, hands fisting the covers again, the head of Theo’s dick nailing his prostate every time like this. Liam could only take it, Theo’s hands on his calves as he fucked into him, dick sliding smoothly “Fuck, like this, Theo… just… _like this”_

“Like this? Yeah?” Liam nodded, vigorously, bringing a victorious smile to Theo’s face. Theo threw his head back, feeling himself lose control, _allowing_ himself to lose control over his eyes, the yellow burning behind his closed eyelids. Theo snapped his hips, loving to hear the delicious sound of his balls slapping against Liam’s. Theo let go of Liam’s calves, letting the Beta circle his waist again, holding his hips as he fucked harder, still kneeling on the bed.

Theo had planned on this going much slower, but hey, this worked too. Liam moaned under him, his hands going to his own hair, pulling at the strands as he smiled, growling when Theo hit a particularly sweet spot inside him. Being with Theo like this had never crossed Liam’s mind, the Beta would probably be sick to his stomach at the thought back when they had first been introduced. But things had changed. Things had changed when Theo saved his life, the first time. Liam hadn’t thought too much of it at the time, thinking it was probably Theo trying to fall into Scott’s good graces. But boy, was he wrong.

Things had changed when Liam felt his heart stop when he realized Theo was willing to die for him. And in those seconds after the elevator doors closed and Theo’s words echoed inside his head like someone had been hammering them into his skull, Liam felt guilty. Liam felt guilty for ever hating the guy, because now all he wanted was to beat down those doors and just _get to him_.

Elevators, huh?

 _“Hey, you made it out!”_ Liam hadn’t been able to keep the excitement from his voice, the pure relief from traveling through his veins at the sight of Theo, though a bit roughed up, fighting a Rider. If Theo had heard the way Liam’s heart had skipped _several_ beats, he chose not to say anything, probably too busy trying not get killed by the Rider he was keeping trapped in his embrace, the beast almost, _almost_ too strong for him, his body tired.

And Liam knew Theo wasn’t going to like the plan the Beta had come up with. Steal the horse and get to the Hunt. Liam had almost apologized for how much stupider the words made it sound when Theo turned around, eyes outraged on Liam, _furious_ even.

_“You’re kidding, right?! I went through all of this to keep you from being taken!”_

That’s when it all changed, when all Liam could do was stand there and be _sure_ his heart had stopped for real. In the days and weeks that followed their victory, Liam had found himself utterly and completely confused, lost. Lost within Theo, more and more, in every little thing about him, every look they had ever exchanged, every touch of their hands rushing through his mind, _over and over again,_ all of their discussions, every single argument, all of their stupid bickering.

Suddenly it was clear why Theo never answered whenever Liam asked why he cared about him so much. _Because it had been so damn obvious_. All along. It had been right there. It may have started small, but Theo _cared_ , plain and simple, about Liam. Maybe not at first about Liam specifically, but it got there eventually, after everything they had gone through. Theo had been through literal hell, had almost begged Liam to destroy the one thing that could send him back.

Liam was sure that’s when the trust really started to settle for them. When Liam trusted Theo enough to _know_ Liam would find a way to put him through hell, even on Earth, sword or no sword. Maybe they had started with the wrong foot, but it grew to something so much better when they started saving each other’s necks from the guillotine, _weekly_.

And yeah, maybe Theo had been the first to understand his feelings, but had kept them hidden, completely, from the wolf. And Liam couldn’t blame anyone but himself. He had said so many horrible things to Theo, had repeatedly thrown back at him all the things the Chimera had put him and his pack through, trying to convince Liam to kill Scott, his _Alpha_ , not once apologizing, not even when he was sure Theo had changed.

And then they were in the elevator and Liam had gotten _this_ close to actual death. Theo had been _right there,_ saving him for the hundredth time and Liam just wanted _him,_ wanted to _taste_ him, even if just once. Because there was no way for them to know if they’d get to do it again. And then Theo was kissing him back, holding him and fighting for his chance of having Liam and that’s all the Beta could’ve ever asked for.

Getting shot hadn’t been part of the plan, obviously, but he was glad it had all worked out. If Liam had any doubts left, they were gone the second he opened his eyes and the first thing he saw was Theo, Theo’s fearful blue eyes staring into his, holding him, keeping him warm and _safe._

Liam had feared laying in bed, so open like that, in front of Theo would trigger something in him, but nothing changed, his posture the same whenever his eyes rested on Liam’s chest, Liam’s flushed skin. Liam watched as Theo hung his head low, his fingers digging into his hips as his thrusts got harder, his pace unforgiving as he got closer.

“Fuck, Liam, I’m gonna cum…” Theo moaned, relentless in his pace as he kept his eyes closed. Liam reached for him, rocking back in time with the Chimera, who just groaned, the sound so soft and pleading Liam could only respond in equal measure.

Theo tried holding back, he tried making it last longer, tried even slowing down, but Liam didn’t let him. Liam kept him locked against his body, heels digging into his ass to spur him on. Theo rested his closed fists on the bed, Liam’s hands going up his arms to rest on his shoulder.

“Theo…”

Theo opened his eyes to look at Liam, the Beta’s cheeks pink, sweat pooling on his sharp collarbones, his bow lips open as his name came out in a mantra. Theo smiled, biting his lips, feeling his abs twitch, his orgasm trying to knock down the wall he had built and winning the fight against his control.

“I’m gonna cum, Liam…” Theo whispered, eyes closed and brows high as Liam’s hands fisted his hair, legs urging him on “... baby, I’m gonna cum…” Theo moved from the bed and hugged Liam. Liam hugged back, his body in complete contact with Theo’s, his dick stuck between them. 

The feeling that was taking over Liam’s body was overwhelming, all of his senses into overdrive until all he could focus on was Theo’s cock dragging again and again against his prostate, the way the Chimera moaned on top of him, hugged him tight.

“Fuck, I’m cumming!” Theo wheezed, his voice hoarse as his fingers dug into Liam’s shoulders. Liam only growled in return, resting back and taking it, heat pooling inside his body, his muscles tensing and tensing, like an overstretched rubber band and Liam was desperate to snap “Fuck, Liam, I’m cumming!”

Then Liam gasped, feeling shot after shot of hot cum being thrusted into his hole. Theo screamed through his orgasm, letting go of Liam once he lost control over his claws, the air being knocked right out of his lungs with the force of it all. But Theo didn’t stop fucking him. No, he kept _going_ , fucking straight into Liam’s prostate, the Beta’s dick twitching with every movement, thick pre cum dripping onto his abs.

“Theo… Theo, I’m gonna…” Theo growled, now controlled hand on Liam’s neck as he started going fast, _supernaturally_ faster. Liam screamed, opening his legs to give the Chimera more room “Theo…”

“Cum for me, baby, cum…”

And Liam did. His orgasm hit him like a brick, washing through his body like a wave, a tsunami almost. Theo grabbed his dick as it spasmed, jerking him off through it. Theo hissed as Liam’s ass held him tightly in place, but the Chimera would never complain, letting Liam’s body ride out the extends of his orgasm. Theo was then sure he would never have the pleasure of witnessing anything hotter than Liam Dunbar cumming from only his cock up his ass. Theo thrusted slowly, testing, getting a whimper from the wolf, the Chimera’s hand smooth on his spent dick as Liam blinked his eyes open. And smiled.

And just like that, Theo was Liam’s, more so than ever before. In those seconds, Theo felt what it was like to truly belong to someone completely. Not only did Liam have his Chimera, but Liam had his body and soul, in the palm of his hand. And it _terrified_ Theo, just as much as it thrilled him.

Theo pulled out of Liam slowly, not wanting to cause him any pain, collapsing on the bed next to the wolf, kind of on top of his right arm, the two of them panting. Theo turned to Liam, his left hand reaching for the Beta’s hair, wiping away the beads of sweat from his forehead.

“Are you okay?” Liam smiled at the whispered words, turning his head to Theo. Theo kissed Liam’s lips softly, almost gingerly. Liam brought his hand to the back of Theo’s head, lifting himself to rest on one elbow and deepen the kiss.

“I’m _better_ than okay” Theo smirked, bringing Liam in for another kiss. Liam sighed, resting completely against his body, ignoring the mess in between his legs, loving not so secretly that he couldn’t even smell himself on his own skin. There was only Theo “Starving, though”

Theo chuckled, hand caressing Liam’s back. Theo couldn’t remember the last time he had eaten anything remotely similar to actual food, to be honest. They had all been so worried with the whole Anuk-Ite thing and not getting killed almost every minute of every day none of them had remembered to take care of themselves.

And there was also the fact that Theo had been living inside his car, pretty much. He couldn’t exactly have a real meal in there. And Liam had disappeared for a couple of days after the whole incident that led them to being exposed. When Theo asked, Mason had looked suddenly all sad, saying something about Liam blaming himself for what had happened. Which was ridiculous, obviously, it _hadn’t been_ his fault, but Theo knew better than to bring it up, so he didn’t, ever again.

“I doubt you have any groceries here” Theo teased, earning a soft pinch to his right nipple, chuckling as he grabbed Liam’s hand. Liam brushed his free hand against Theo’s skin absentmindedly, his eyes closed for a few seconds.

“Well, you are not wrong” Liam sighed, moving to rest back on his elbow and look at Theo “But we can order something” Theo nodded, groaning softly when Liam moved to stand, the Beta rolling his eyes fondly at him “We still don’t know how things are gonna be here in Beacon Hills, I hope I can have my old job back or, at least find another one. You know, if people no longer want to kill us”

Theo watched as Liam picked up their towels from the ground, using one to dry the sweat from his neck and shoulder, walking to the bathroom.

“Where are your parents anyway?” Theo asked, resting on the bed, arms behind his head as he watched Liam walk, eyes on his perfect round ass Theo had imagined it many times and was pleased to find he had been wrong. Liam’s ass was strong and, on the bed, it didn’t look as good as when the wolf was standing.

But Theo regretted ever saying anything, because he no longer smelled happiness and bliss coming from the Beta. Liam stopped by the bathroom door, towels in hand, his back stiff. Theo watched as Liam’s free hand fisted in the way that told Theo Liam was holding back something he didn’t want Theo seeing, something bad. And then, in one swift movement, Liam was inside the bathroom, shutting the door.

When Liam didn’t come out, Theo stood. Theo heard noises coming from the other side of the door, not knowing exactly what it was that Liam was doing. After a few moments, Liam just stood there, just breathing deeply for a good five minutes.

“Liam? I’m… I’m sorry, I didn’t mean to upset you” No answer came. Theo took a step closer to the door, knowing there was something wrong, something he had said, but now all he wanted was to be able to find the words to make Liam talk to him. Theo had a special talent when it came to words, but, lately, with Liam, the Beta was proving to make it hard for his brain to remember he _could_ even speak English, let alone find the words he wanted to say.

Then the door opened and there Liam was, eyes red with unshed tears. He smelled different, like he had cleaned up a bit, probably before all the cum could dry on his skin. Theo stood where he was, wanting to near the Beta, but knowing that maybe that wasn’t what _Liam_ wanted, hating the tightness inside his chest at the sight of him so… so… Theo didn’t have the words.

“They left” Liam whispered, sniffing, eyes on the ground as he crossed his arms “They left after I was exposed” And just like that Theo knew _exactly_ who Liam was talking about.

“They just… left?” Theo didn’t understand. How could they just leave? Leave their son? That’s not how it was supposed to go, was it? Parents don’t abandon their children, do they? Liam shrugged, rubbing his eyes angrily, hating himself for crying. Liam knew there was no way for Theo to know, he had never told him, but he had been so _happy_ and all out of a sudden, those bad memories were there again.

“Their things are still here. I just locked the door, I couldn’t stare at it everyday” Liam spoke, using his thumb to point to another part of the house, probably his parents’ room “They packed while I was in school the next day and… and left” Liam turned back and turned the lights off in the bathroom, before turning back to Theo “They didn’t even take the money I knew they kept in a safe, they were so scared of me. It’s not much, but it’s how I’ve been living since I got fired. Scott’s been helping, so have Deaton, Chris and Melissa, but it hasn’t been easy on any of us, with all this hunting going on. I won’t be able to keep the house going for much longer, I’ll probably sell everything and then the house and property if things don’t go back to how they used to be”

Theo didn’t know what to say, so he just took a step forward and hugged Liam. Liam smiled, returning the hug immediately. Theo didn’t _have_ to say anything, the Beta didn’t expect him to solve his problems for him. He’d figure something out, now that the Anuk-Ite was gone. Scott was the Alpha and would find a way for them to all live in peace.

Liam loved how easily Theo could read him, though, the hug being extremely welcome. He needed this, needed someone to remind him he _could_ do this, could still survive being a werewolf and graduate from high school once his Alpha and most of his Pack left.

“You’re not the monster they think you are, you know that, right?” Theo whispered, kissing Liam’s neck, desperately wanting to get the Beta to smell happy again, to smell like him “I… I got you, okay? I know I’m not much and I’m certainly not your parents, but… but I’m here”

Liam smiled, glad to just move his head and kiss Theo’s lips.

 

_'Our mothers tell us that_

_there are no monsters_

_under our beds,_

_or hidden inside our closets_

_but they don't warn us_

_that sometimes monsters_

_come dressed as people_

_that claim to love you_

_more than the sun_

_loves the moon'_

_-Nikita Gill, The Real Monsters_

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Let me know what you think <3
> 
> P.S. The last poem, The Real Monsters, IS NOT, about Theo. This isn't me, trying to give you guys some stupid clue, it's about Liam's parents leaving, okay? Thought it was appropriate. Theo will NOT turn on Liam.


	5. Fear So Intrinsically Etched Into His Beautiful Features. Like The Beast That It Truly Was.

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Looks like Theo can't go back now...

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> CHECK END NOTES, PLEASE!

_'I have gunpowder in my chest_

_instead of a heart now,_

_and it escapes my lips_

_shaped like a bullet_

_with your name on it._

 

_Soft people become dangerous_

_when you destroy the things_

_they hold dearest'_

_-Nikita Gill, Gunpowder._

 

Liam smiled, glad to just move his head and kiss Theo’s lips. It was sweet, long and everything the two of them needed. Liam sighed, arms around Theo’s shoulders, standing there, in the middle of his room.

“You’re enough” He whispered. Theo smiled, biting his lips softly before bringing Liam in once more. They got dressed soon after, Liam smiling softly at seeing his hoodie stretch over Theo’s chest. His sweatpants hung low on his hips and the two went downstairs still barefoot, Liam making his way to the kitchen with his phone in hand.

Liam ordered them dinner, Theo snooping around the house as they waited. The doorbell rang not twenty minutes later, business was probably slow on an early Wednesday night and Theo found himself in what looked like an office, probably his father’s, hearing the wolf opening the door. It made Theo angry that Liam's parents had left. Theo had never truly comprehended ‘family', didn’t have many memories from before the doctors, but they were still important, even after the Bite. His sister was… not something Theo was ready to talk about, doubted he ever would. No matter how comfortable he felt around Liam.

And Liam had looked utterly destroyed, ruined by the abandonment of those who had vowed to protect him through anything. It made Theo’s blood boil, the thought of Liam arriving to an empty home, his parents gone, because they didn’t understand  _him_. Theo could only imagine, really, the kind of pain that had caused him, on top of everything Liam had already been carrying on his shoulders. How he had kept it a secret from Theo was beyond his comprehension. The exposure, kids in school, his anger… then his parents. Theo was just glad he hadn’t done anything stupid.

Around the shelves there were plenty of pictures of Liam.  _Cute_ pictures, from his previous schools and from his boy scouts group. God, even Liam on a _school play_ when he was maybe six. Theo smiled at them, letting his fingers brush against the dusty glass. Liam had had a life before being turned, a family who loved him, who ate his scout cookies and went to his school plays. Where Theo had been blessed with his supernatural status, not remembering a thing from those who had brought him into the world, Liam had been cursed, being stripped of everything good he had ever had in his human life.

Theo closed the door to the office as softly as possible, not wanting to let Liam know he had been in there. Theo hoped to leave in the room all of those memories, because no matter how good they were, they would all lead to the his parents not being here. Theo walked back into the living room to find Liam setting the table in the dining room, the Chimera stopping and just staring. He had seen people doing this before, but didn’t really _see_ the point.

“What? Never ate at the dinner table?” Liam teased, smile on his slips as he placed the Chinese food in front of plates, actual white _porcelain_ plates, with silver cutlery, napkins and glasses with sparkling water in what looked to Theo like a crystal jar. Theo smirked, knowing Liam hadn’t meant to say it as something hurtful, Theo could hear it on his voice. There was simply a lot they had never told each other, despite having opened up to one another the most.

“Well, no” Theo answered, shrugging, stuffing his hands in the pockets of Liam’s hoodie “Not really, no” Liam froze, his hands stilling as he turned to look at Theo with a mix of regret and astonishment on his face. Theo smiled, brushing it off with one hand “Don’t sweat it, never really understood it” he said, taking a seat in one of the two places Liam had set “So, are there like… rules to this?”

“What? No, no… help yourself” Liam smiled, kissing Theo’s cheek before sitting next to the Chimera and pouring them water. Theo could see, in the pale dining room light, just how tired Liam looked, if werewolves could even _get_ tired. Theo reached for Liam’s thigh under the table, the Beta smiling at him, playing with his chopsticks as they ate in a comfortable silence.

Theo felt something pull inside his chest at Liam’s smile, at them, like that. _Having dinner_. Was that even real? Theo knew he was staring, but couldn’t take his eyes from Liam, the Beta not noticing it, or if he did, didn’t seem to mind Theo looking at him.

It was overwhelming to realize that it was real. The food tasted great and Liam’s thigh was warm under his palm. It was  _real._ It wasn’t how normally one of his nightmares started. And Theo smiled, almost laughing at how stupidly _domestic_ they were _._ Theo looked down at his food, though, unable to hold back the smile. Because he didn’t mind it _one bit._

“You know, this is _really_ looking like a date to me” Theo smirked, his hand going up, dangerously high on Liam’s thigh. Theo smirked at the lovely blush that took over Liam’s face, the redness of his cheeks much too beautiful for Theo not to want to always keep it there. At first, Theo used to do it for the simple pleasure of messing with the kid, getting him angry made a rush run through Theo, plain and simple. The Doctors had told him about Liam’s anger issues and Theo had wanted to see how far he could push him before he snapped.

But this? This is far greater than any anger. It just wasn’t better than seeing Liam’s cheeks flushed pink when he got all hot and bothered, which Theo had immediately vowed to see as many times as he possibly could.

“Do you, uh… wanna do the whole going on dates thing?” Liam asked, swallowing past the lump in his throat, eyes on Theo’s lips as the Chimera kept one of his chopsticks in between his teeth. Theo was a hard person to read, even for Liam. Even after everything, Theo still kept things to himself. But the Chimera looked like he was actually thinking about it, about _going on a date_ with Liam and that made the Beta uneasy, at best. They had kissed in the heat of the moment and hadn’t stopped to really think things through. Theo’s answer could _ruin_ him, right then and there.

“Do you? Because truth be told I think we’re past that” Theo shrugged, perfectly aware of Liam’s eyes on him, as he got his food ready on the plate with his chopsticks, hungry to get another mouthful in. Theo wasn’t good with chopsticks and being ambidextrous didn’t help at all “I mean, I’m not saying we can’t _go_ on dates, I’m just saying I don’t need to take you to the movies or to some restaurant to know how I feel about you”

Theo was too busy eating to see the smile that took over Liam’s face, the nonchalant tone to his voice enough to make Liam’s head spin. He was okay with that. They could do dates, but, after everything, with Liam intertwining their fingers under the table, resting on his thigh, with Theo smirking and Goddamn _winking_ at him, the wolf knew they were together. Like together,  _together._ Whatever that meant for them, they would figure it out.

Liam handed Theo a brand new toothbrush after dinner, about an hour later, after they were done eating and putting everything away. Theo brushed his teeth, rested on the bathroom’s threshold as he watched Liam pulling the covers to the foot of the bed. The werewolf turned to look at Theo through the claw marks the Chimera had left on them, an incredulous,  _not angry at all_ smile on his face. Theo raised his hands like ‘you can’t blame me’ or ‘don’t look at me, I have no clue what happened’, toothbrush still hanging from his mouth. Liam rolled his eyes, a smile tugging at his lips still, throwing the blanket to the floor, wanting to throw it away the next morning.

Theo finished brushing his teeth, turning the lights in the bathroom off before walking back into the room, walking right up to Liam.

“Not my fault your ass felt that great…” Theo whispered into Liam’s ear as soon as he hugged the Beta from behind, his teeth sucking on his earlobe gently. Liam was facing him in a second, though, a blush so deep spreading across his cheeks and neck Theo couldn’t help but smile so wide his face actually hurt “What? It _did_ feel amazing”

“You can’t just blurt out shit like that, Theo!” Liam hissed, hiding his face in his hands, wanting the ground to swallow him up right there when Theo just threw his head back, laughing, hands coming up his arms.

“Baby…” Theo pleased, voice soft and face still adorned by a wide smile, but Liam didn’t move “Liam, look at me” Slowly, the Beta looked up. The blush had gotten better, softer, but he was still somewhat embarrassed by Theo’s words “I meant it, _all_ of it was amazing, finally having you. You got _nothing_ to be embarrassed about”

“I know, it’s just… _you”_ Liam spoke, finger poking Theo’s pec gently “You, talking about it, like that” The Beta didn’t have the words to express what he meant. He didn’t mind the bickering, the teasing, it was Theo’s thing. But not about this, not about what they had done. It was far too important to Liam for Theo to joke about.

“Like what? Like I liked it? Because I did. A lot. And would like to do it again” Theo spoke, dead serious, eyes locked with Liam’s, arms crossed over his chest, standing right in front of him “And again, after that” Liam arched his brows, pointing at him.

“That’s what I mean, you make it sound so simple!” Liam groaned, falling onto his back on the now unmade bed, an arm thrown over his face “I’m not embarrassed of what we did, of wanting you, I just…”

“Baby, that’s normal” Theo smiled, kneeling on the bed, eyes on Liam “You were never intimate with anyone, were you? I mean, romantically intimate?” Liam merely shook his head, face still covered by his arm, making Theo smile and reach for him. Theo laid on the bed right next to Liam, resting on one elbow as his right hand reached for Liam’s “Well, I can’t say that I have either, but I did like it, a lot” Theo passed a leg over one of Liam’s, pushing the other open until the Beta passed it around his waist. Theo used his hand to touch the side of Liam’s face, who had his eyes on the Chimera’s now “This…” He pointed at them “... is normal, I’m not saying we have to have sex all the time or even every day or whatever, we’ll figure it out as we go, I guess, but whenever you feel like it, you just have to tell me… _touch_ me if you can’t find the words”

“Touch _how?”_ Liam whispered, his blue eyes lost within Theo’s, the Chimera smiling down at him. Liam _wanted_ Theo, having him once hadn’t even scratched the surface of Liam’s desire, but he didn’t know how to start it, how to let Theo know just how much he needed Theo again and again, needed to make the Chimera feel what he had felt.

“Why, Liam, you had sex with me not three hours ago, you saw a couple of the things that turn me on” Liam rolled his eyes, but smiled anyway, biting his bottom lip. Theo used his fingers to get Liam to look at him in the eyes once more, the Chimera’s blue pools lost on him, examining all of Liam’s face “Seeing you blush, for one, is a _huge_ turn on for me. Two…” Theo grabbed Liam’s hand and guided it to his now bare chest, resting it on his pectoral “... my nipples are _very..._ sensitive” Theo spoke in a whisper against Liam’s mouth, closing his eyes as he felt Liam caressing the bundle slightly with his thumb, watching his reaction the whole time.

“Like that?” Liam whispered back, his other hand brushing away a curl that had fallen on Theo’s face, cupping his cheek, caressing his jaw line. Theo smiled, biting his lips softly, leaning into the touch.

Yeah…” Theo slurred the word, moving to press his already half hard dick against Liam’s hip. All of it turned Theo on, to tell the truth, simply the fact that it was Liam touching him, with hands he had only ever dreamed of “See? Just like that”

Liam smiled, using two fingers now as Theo hissed slightly, pushing into the feeling.

“I love it when you kiss my neck…” Liam was moving within the same second, his leg out of the way so he could pull Theo down into him. Liam let his wet, cool lips trail up Theo’s skin, the Chimera shivering at the contact as Liam left loud, open mouthed kisses on his burning hot skin “Take my pants off, baby…”

Liam let his hands trail down Theo’s body, smiling when he saw the Chimera wasn’t wearing the bower briefs Liam had given him. Liam squeezed Theo’s ass, just like he had done before, the Chimera smiling widely at him, before pushing his sweats down completely, letting them fall to the floor, forgotten.

Theo’s dick was fully hard now, pink and ready. Liam could smell the arousal in the room and knew it was his as well, mixed perfectly with Theo’s. Theo opened his eyes to find Liam staring at his dick, the Chimera on his hands and knees on top of him, but didn’t have to say anything but watch as the Beta spit on his hand, gripping his cock with confidence and moving right on to jerking him off.

Theo gasped, his body resting itself completely against Liam’s chest as he gave himself up to the feeling of Liam giving him pleasure like this, without taking any for himself. Unlike anyone Theo had ever slept with, Liam wanted to experiment, wanted to see Theo come undone with only his hand. This was for Theo. And that was it.

Liam had an arm around his back, his hand on his neck, holding him tight as he worked him roughly, but slow. Theo kept breathing through his mouth, trying to understand what it was that Liam was doing to him. It felt nice, it felt really fucking _good_ , but it was inside that things were all fucked up. Theo couldn’t help but wait for the moment it would stop, for the moment Liam would push him away and _deman_ _d_ something in return.

But he _never_ did. Liam’s hands on him were relentless, but soft, only giving, the Beta kissing his neck and shoulder as his hand moved in strong circles around the shaft, then all the way down to the base of his dick. It wasn’t how Theo worked himself, but it was doing the job. Fuck, it was doing the job _really well._

“Liam…” Theo passed his arms around Liam’s shoulders, relaxing completely, head against Liam’s shoulder as he took deep breaths to keep himself under control, the Chimera at bay. He had received handjobs before, this shouldn’t really be that big of a deal. But it was Liam’s first time giving him a handjob. And there were lips on his temple and gentle fingers in his hair and skin and it was getting too much, way too fast for his liking “Liam, I’m not gonna last long like that…”

“Do you want me to stop?” Liam whispered against his skin and for a second, Theo couldn’t breathe, not knowing what he wanted. And Theo didn’t like that feeling inside his chest. He reached for Liam’s arm, stopping him, just wanting a moment to think clearly. Theo inhaled deeply, eyes still closed as he recognized the lingering feeling on his skin, missing it immediately. Theo blinked his eyes open, looking at Liam, who was already watching him.

“Don’t do this because you think you h…”

“Theo, think about yourself” Liam whispered, still not moving “Think of what _you_ want and I’ll give it to you” Liam whispered, tugging his hand against Theo’s hold, the Chimera whimpering at the feeling of Liam’s smooth, yet calloused hand on him. Theo’s head fell back against Liam’s shoulder, all control slipping from him as he let go of the Beta’s arm and just hugged Liam again, nodding. Liam smiled, sitting on the bed so he could have better access to Theo, the Chimera straddled on his legs and safe in his arms.

Theo gasped, not sure how long had passed. He was on the edge in the matter of minutes, all of his blood rushing to his dick as he hugged Liam even tighter, holding onto his shoulders, a hand fisted in his long hair as he panted. Theo honestly did his best not to just fuck Liam’s hand as the Beta jerked him off deliciously. It felt ridiculously good to give up control and Theo was sure it was just one of Liam’s many effects on him.

Theo didn’t have time to warn Liam, the orgasm making his legs shake and his eyes snap open. He squeezed Liam, hugging him as Theo cursed, forehead against Liam’s shoulder, panting. Liam helped him through it, hugging him back, not once letting him move away until his body stopped shivering.

Liam lifted his hand once Theo pulled away, the Chimera groaning when Liam licked his index finger clean, moaning around his knuckle. Theo let his body fall limp on the bed, away from the Beta’s warm touch, his warm _everything_ , making Liam laugh. Theo fell sitting against the pillows, one of the Chimera’s legs still on top of Liam.

“You taste _very_ good, Theo” Liam moaned, cleaning the rest of his hand, all while perfectly aware of the Chimera’s eyes on him. Theo bit his lip, still panting, eyes fixed on Liam’s lips “We _gotta_ do that more often”

“You’re gonna be the end of me…” Theo breathed out, hand on his dick as he gave himself a few experimenting tugs, hissing as a bit of cum gushed out, eyes closing as he just gave himself those few extra seconds of bliss.

Theo snapped his eyes open when Liam’s tongue touched the underside of his cock’s head, licking the cum clean. Theo could only watch, amazed, as Liam swallowed his cock, bit by bit, cleaning him up to the hilt, steady and slow, so fucking warm and tight. Liam kept his eyes on Theo's face, watching for his reaction. Theo threw his head back against the wall when his cock hit the back of Liam’s throat, feeling himself getting interested again.

“Yup, death by sex, that’s what it’ll say on the report”

Liam smiled, letting go of Theo’s cock with a wet ‘pop’ sound, watching the Chimera open his eyes to look at him. Theo was so handsome, even _more_ so when he looked so wrecked, right after cumming, his eyes on Liam. Theo smirked, throwing an arm behind his back.

“See something you like, Dunbar?” Theo teased, probably expecting a snarky answer. But got a very sexy one instead.

“Actually, yeah, I did” Liam spoke, moving to straddle Theo’s waist. Theo’s hands came to hold his hips automatically, gripping his thighs. Liam balanced himself on Theo, eyes fixed on the Chimera as his hand reached back, finding Theo’s cock, which bucked into the warm feeling, getting hard immediately “And apparently, so did you”

“Oh, I liked it, alright” Theo spoke, head back as Liam worked him back to full hardness “And to think you were embarrassed mere minutes ago" Liam smiled, lifting himself to guide Theo’s dick in. Theo’s hands gripped his hips tight as Liam sunk, steady and slow, jaw slack in pleasure as they both stopped breathing.

“What can I say?” Liam panted, breathless once Theo was completely settled inside him. It felt different like this, Theo touching places inside his body Liam had no idea even existed “You make me better”

Theo reached for the side of Liam’s face at those words, pushing away from the bed to bring their chests together. Liam whimpered at the feeling, arms around Theo’s shoulders, head back at how deliciously it all burned inside his being.

“ _You_ , Liam, are the one who makes me better” Theo whispered, gripping the back of Liam’s neck to try and make the boy understand. There was nothing worth saving in Theo and yet there Liam was, looking at him like there was an actual soul inside his body, like his own sister’s heart wasn’t pumping the blood inside his veins “You are perfect, Liam, you make _me_ better”

Liam rested his hands on the wall behind Theo, grinding his hips against the Chimera’s, Theo kissing his pectorals and collarbones. Liam threw his head back, lifting himself and sinking back down. Theo fucked back up, meeting him halfway slowly, experimenting.

They had absolutely no reason to rush the moment. But, still, the feeling was so new that it wasn’t long before Theo was panting, squeezing Liam’s ass so hard there would have definitely been bruises if his body didn’t heal so fast. Theo held his waist, his feet planting on the bed and then fucking into Liam. The Beta growled, eyes yellow as he held onto Theo, blunt nails digging into his covered shoulders.

And then Theo burst inside him, cumming load after load, growling loud enough for dogs outside to howl back. His eyes shone in yellow back at Liam as he helped the Beta through his orgasm, jerking Liam off when his body began to shiver. Liam came all over Theo’s hand, holding onto the back of his neck and wall as he spasmed from pleasure, grunting in his blissed out state.

Theo let Liam roll slowly onto his back on the bed, both of them hissing at the loss when Theo’s cock slipped out of him. Theo smiled down at him, hand in Liam’s hair softly as they panted before going into the bathroom and getting a hand towel to get them cleaned up. Liam was almost asleep by the time Theo was done, cleaning himself up too before turning off the lights, dropping their discarded clothes by the foot of the bed and sliding under the covers next to the Beta, glad to just spoon the wolf.

It took Theo a while to sleep. Theo wasn’t used to sleeping in a room this big, normally the truck provided a much safer space for him and his light sleep. But, with Liam and the whole roller coaster that the past few days had been, Theo rested back, not even breathing as the Beta moved closer, whimpering softly, chasing the warmth of Theo’s naked skin after coming down from his high, all drowsy and already half asleep.

Theo moved his arms to circle around Liam’s waist, the Beta sighing in what sounded like a happy and contented manner as he finally settled, his breaths even as his hand rested right on top of Theo’s heart. Theo closed his eyes, sighing as he held the boy’s hand there, wanting to make sure his heart was there too. That it was all real.

Theo woke up at 9 and checked his phone on the nightstand. He had kind of expected there to be a hundred missed calls and unseen texts, but there were none. None. Which meant the world hadn’t gone to shit overnight and everything was still fine. Liam was curled into his side, bringing a smile to the Chimera’s lips. Liam would probably still sleep for another few hours and Theo planned on letting him get as much rest as possible.

The Beta had nearly died the day before and, to Theo’s surprise, he hadn’t woken up screaming in the middle of the night. Either of them had. After still standing on his feet for several hours after the whole shit show with Liam and the hospital massacre, Theo gave himself some more time to just do _nothing_.

Theo didn’t move from the bed either, just watching Liam. Theo had no idea what to do next, where to go from there. Go back to school? He had never truly attended school. Beacon High probably wouldn’t accept him, even if things went back to normal for people like Liam and Corey. Go to college? Get a job? Looking down at Liam, Theo knew he’d do anything. He’d do anything to get a chance to spend every minute of every day with the wolf, be there for him.

But then there was a knock on the door. Theo turned his head to the sound, his neck snapping, a growl already halfway up his chest when he finally recognized the heart beating just outside Liam’s door. Theo rolled his eyes, slowly getting out of the bed, careful not to wake Liam up, who rolled into where Theo had just been, sighing.

Theo’s fingers softly ran through Liam’s hair, the Beta softly mumbling before settling again, sleeping deeply like before. Theo’s chest tugged tightly, the Chimera begging him to slide back in under the covers.

Fucking _Scott_ and his surprise visits. Theo picked up from the ground the first sweat pants he could find, not really caring as he pulled them on. Liam’s coat obviously didn’t fit him, so that was a bit easier to find, the black fabric on the white rug standing out in the poorly lit room, even for his eyes. They fit him terribly, but would have to do. Theo planned on shoving the door in Scott’s face anyway, so it shouldn’t take long until they were off him again.

“Do you have any idea what time it is?” Theo spoke, swinging the door open, arm resting against it as he let his face show exactly how annoyed at the Alpha he was.

“Eleven?” Scott spoke, showing the phone to Theo, stuffing his hands back into the pocket of his black winter coat “Where’s Liam?”

“Asleep, upstairs” Theo answered, pointing to Liam’s room, arms crossing across his chest “Where he will continue to be since he nearly died yesterday” To Theo’s surprise, Scott nodded, agreeing that Liam needed all the rest he could get.

“That’s one of the reasons I’m here” Scott spoke, pushing past Theo and walking into the house like he owned the place. Scott didn’t bother to take his coat off, simply unbuttoning it as he sat on a stool by the kitchen island, eyes on Theo “I want you to tell me exactly what happened to him at the hospital” Scott sighed, a hand brushing his face tiredly, like he hadn’t slept at all since the school “Look, I know we weren’t receptive of you, but I saw the way you two looked at each other and Liam wouldn’t have slept with you if he didn’t trust you, so…”

“How do you even…?” Theo asked, eyes wide, incredulous, as he looked down at himself, praying that nothing gave what he and Liam had done away. Scott smiled at Theo’s distress, eyes down for a second before looking up, clearly amused.

“Liam’s my _Beta,_ Theo and you _reek_ of him” Scott chuckled, watching as Theo licked his lips, trying to find something to say, but coming up empty “You probably can’t tell because your senses are overridden by him, but anyone else with a supernatural nose can. And well, with mere eyes, too”

Theo could only huff, inhaling deeply. Scott was right, he couldn’t smell Liam on him. He _could_ smell the coffee the neighbour had in their pot since 8 a.m. or the flowers from across the street, but he couldn’t smell Liam _on himself._ He could smell Liam upstairs, but not on his clothes and it got his brain completely confused.

“Why can’t I smell him on me?” Theo whispered, bringing the hoodie closer to his nose, like it would help somehow. Scott smiled, resting his elbows on the counter, amused as Theo discovered such a normal thing for wolves.

Truth be told, Scott had shown up to beat Theo to a pulp if he had to, and finding out the Chimera smelled like his Beta _like that_ hadn’t helped Theo’s case at all. But Liam was sound asleep upstairs, there were clean dishes in the dishwasher and glasses on the coffee table. Everything seemed normal. And Theo was wearing the hoodie Scott had given Liam on their first Christmas together, as pack.

That alone was sign enough Liam would never forgive his Alpha if he touched Theo, he had _loved_ that hoodie, had talked about it for months. That and the fact that he had been ready to fight Derek. _Derek,_ of all people, for Theo. After high-fiving death, obviously, that reckless sun of a bitch.

And Scott had been stupidly blind, no pun intended. Liam had been the reason Theo was still in town, the reason the Chimera hadn’t left when things got too crazy. And more than once Theo had saved Liam, not only from bullets, but from himself, from giving in to his anger.

“Because you trust him” Scott spoke softly, watching as Theo’s hands froze, the Chimera slowly looking up, to the Alpha “I can’t smell Stiles, for shit, or my mom. Unless I have to, obviously, you would too. It’s all instinctual. You know he’s safe, so your senses move on to other scents, but he’s a priority, if needed” Scott shrugged “You can train your Chimera to pick up on it, like a radar, using his chemo signals, I can show you”

Theo didn’t say anything, merely staring ahead. Scott knew it was a lot. When Derek had explained about the wolf recognizing pack by scent, he had been relieved, but Theo wasn’t used to trust, in its purest and rarest form for a creature like them. The human in him was in love with Liam, but he hadn’t realized the Chimera was too.

“Look, I’ll show you, but only if you want” Scott sighed “Just tell me, please? From the start?”

Theo sighed, snapping out of his trance. He wasn’t ready to relive those memories just yet. But he answered anyway. Because Scott was Liam’s Alpha. Because he desperately wanted Scott to be telling the truth. And yet it terrified him that the Alpha might. But he answered. For Liam.

“Mason texted me, saying that he and Corey had lost Liam at the hospital” Theo sighed, pinching the bridge of his nose. As soon as the first sentence was out, the images came flooding back. Rushing into the parking lot, breaking down the barricade that the hunters had put up against the door. That’s when Theo had known there was something more going on. Mason had said third floor so that’s where Theo started “When I arrived, I got inside the elevator, stopping on every floor to try and find him. Around the fifth floor, I heard his heart, pounding”

Scott hadn’t known about that many hunters being at the hospital, about them locking his pack inside the building. Suddenly, he was very thankful Theo had been there, so willing to rush to Liam’s side. Theo had always been very good at hiding what he felt, but not in that very moment. In that _very_ moment, Scott saw the fear. The pure dread rushing through Theo’s veins at the mere thought of being a _second_ too late.

“Then I heard the hunters and… and smelled the gunpowder, shit tons of it” Theo’s hand moved up to his hair, the Chimera closing his eyes as his fingers pulled at the strings “They were getting ready to fire at him and Liam was… _mortified._ I could smell the fear, the… I don’t know… panic, coming off him. It smelled like sulfur, like... acid or something. It was like he knew he was going to die, right there. Then the elevator opened and I pulled him inside”

“Was it then that he…?” Scott asked, not wanting to interrupt, but seeing that Theo couldn't really say the words himself.

“No, he was fine. Shaken… but fine” Theo rested himself against the sink, breathing a couple of times before moving on, keeping the Chimera at bay. It scratched at his control like the beast that it truly was, wanting to crawl its way out, take over the body it inhabited and wear his face like the mask it was built to be.

It was clear to Scott, then, just how difficult it was for Theo to talk about it. It was right there, in the middle of that kitchen that Scott was convinced of what the two felt for each other.

“Back then, I hadn’t known about the Anuk-Ite merging and I saw how scared Liam was. He… was was scared he was going to die. Maybe not at the hospital, but I guess reality had finally sunk in, maybe it all had finally gotten to him and he was afraid he wasn’t going to survive this, any of this” Theo let his eyes drift up, though he couldn’t see Liam’s room from where he was “And so he kissed me, maybe out of fear of not getting to do it, ever. And I kissed back. I kissed back because…”

Theo couldn’t say it. The words were right there and he _could say them_. Scott’s eyes on him weren’t helping and all Theo wanted was to hide under the covers with Liam, hold onto him and pretend that conversation had never happened.

“Theo? Because of what? Tell me” Scott spoke, though he already knew. He didn’t care what he had to do to get the Chimera to finally admit it to himself. But he wasn’t going to stick around much longer and he wasn’t going to allow Liam to get hurt by some asshole who couldn’t get their head out of their ass “Damn it, Theo, if you want me to let you date him you gotta t…”

“Because I love him!”

Theo covered his mouth immediately after the words slipped past his lips. Scott stared at him with wide eyes, blinking, the two of them waiting, not even _breathing,_ to see if Liam was going to wake up. But the Beta didn’t even move upstairs. Theo closed his eyes, his mind running five miles a minute, images of Liam bleeding out on the hospital floor, black veins and lack of oxygen circling his brain. Then Liam laughing and smiling sleepy at him burned behind his closed eyelids, the wolf groaning, riding his dick not 12 hours before.

It was all too much, all of those mixed feelings inside his chest. Ever since Liam had gotten shot they had felt like a hurricane inside his body, rising and rising and now he couldn’t breathe. Liam was mere feet from him and Theo couldn’t even breathe. It was all too damn _much_. If anyone had deserved that bullet it was Theo. Theo deserved to die, he didn’t _deserve_ Liam. He didn’t deserve to have him.

Theo had been fooling himself, all along, breathless and completely dumbstruck by Liam’s smile, the feeling of his hands and lips. Theo had craved him, dreamed of him, fantasized about him. And suddenly, Liam felt the same. It was all too good to be true. Theo just kept waiting for it all to fall apart. And it was, right before his very eyes.

“But I can’t have him, can I?” Theo spoke, looking at the Alpha, who was at a loss for words “Everyone hates me, even a part of Liam will _forever_ hate me for what I’ve done to him, to Mason, _fuck…”_ Theo tugged at his hair as he felt the hot burn of tears, his body falling on a stool across the counter from Scott, his lungs shutting down as the Alpha failed to find words to say “I can’t have him, can I? He’ll never love me, he’ll never be able to forgive me for the things I’ve done, for the people I’ve killed, no matter how many bullets I stop, _fuck me!”_

Scott grabbed Theo’s head within a heartbeat, shaking him a little to make the Chimera stop sobbing and let go of his own hair. Theo jumped like he had been burned by the touch, his eyes red from tears as they fell thickly. Scott held his head in between his hands, bringing them closer together.

“Hey, hey, _look at me”_ Scott whispered “You’re inducing a panic attack, Theo, you have to calm down, alright? Just breathe” Theo felt his claws break the skin of his palms as he mimicked Scott’s breaths, his eyes on the Alpha’s red ones, soothing his Chimera slowly, bit by bit “That is a conversation you have to have with Liam, he’s old enough to choose for himself and Theo…” Scott moved his hand to the back of Theo’s neck so the Chimera couldn’t look away “... he’s already chosen. He _loves_ you. It’s so damn obvious it hurts, I’m sorry it took me so long to understand that”

Theo didn’t know what to say, Scott’s hand on him strangely warm and large. The Alpha moved it back, though, sighing.

“Lydia, Malia and I are going to leave soon, once the Sheriff and I get Beacon Hills back on its feet. I came here to ask you to keep Liam safe, but I see now that I don’t even have to ask. I can see now you’ll do it anyway”

Theo could only nod. There was no doubt about it. Despite his emotions being all over the place, that was the one thing Theo was sure of. Liam. Theo wiped the tears away, now that he felt better. Theo felt confused, not that the word was good enough to describe what was going on inside of him. Theo was glad Beacon Hills would be back to what it used to be, knowing it would be good for Liam, but still confused. And he _hated_ it.

“Look, I can’t speak for him, but I _am_ his Alpha” Scott spoke, standing “Liam deserves to be happy and, if he decided that he wants to be happy with you, then you better hold onto him because he’s the _best damn thing_ that’s ever happened to you” Theo huffed, knowing that it gave Scott immense satisfaction to know he was right. It wasn’t finding Scott’s pack. It was finding Liam “But he’s shy and independent and stubborn and he often doesn’t know how to tell you what he wants so you just gotta go and ask.  _Ask him_ what he wants. Liam has nothing, absolutely _nothing_ keeping him here anymore” Scott pointed to the house and Theo knew exactly what the Alpha meant “Who knows, maybe a change in scenery would be good. For both of you. There’s going to be a pack meeting tonight at my house, to discuss me and the girls leaving, talk with Noah about how things will be now that the supernatural is exposed and the Anuk-Ite is gone. Be there with Liam at 6?”

Theo nodded, watching as Scott clapped him on the shoulder and made his way out. Theo just stood there, for only God knows how long, before he heard Liam whimper upstairs and then his feet were moving, even before his brain could catch up. Theo made his way upstairs, standing by the door as he watched Liam sleep for a few minutes, the Beta still exactly where Theo had left him. As if Scott hadn’t just awoken in him a tornado of doubts and opened the floodgates of his long forgotten misery.

The boy had gotten rid of the blankets, curled in the middle of the bed, snoring softly. Theo laid down, eyes on the ceiling as Liam stirred awake. Theo didn’t turn to look at him like he would’ve liked to do. The Beta smiled drowsy, sleepy at him, his hand reaching for Theo’s face as he turned the Chimera to him, his smile gone when he saw the tears, sleep completely forgotten like he had just gotten a jumpstart.

“Theo? What is it? What happened?” Liam spoke, hands on Theo in a second. Theo let Liam pull him closer, his hands roaming the Chimera’s body, almost as if trying to find whatever it was that was wrong with him physically, because there was no other explanation “Talk to me, please, what is it?” Liam touched his face, fear so intrinsically etched into his beautiful features Theo was sure he had found in him the twin to the storm that lived beneath the surface of his muscles.

Theo moved, resting on one hand, with Liam’s back on the bed as the Chimera looked down at him, soft hands on his shoulders, worried blue eyes on his.

“Do you wanna be with me?" Liam blinked, hands suddenly still while on their way to Theo’s hair. Theo was now on top of Liam, who looked completely and utterly dumbfounded under the Chimera.

“What?”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Okay, guys, so! I know I promised a couple more things for this chapter, but, I promise I have great things pleaned. I'm sorry for this bottomless pit of selfloathing Theo is in right now, but it changes in the next chapter, that IS a teaser, alright? Coming straight from me. It will end!
> 
> I will be adding a new pairing too, because it was asked of me. It won't change their story line, it won't change the focus of this story. I wrote a scene and and I hope it turned out okay. It'll be up on chapter six. 
> 
> ONE MORE THING! There will only be ONE MORE angsty Thiam scene (chapter six)! I promise! Insecure!Theo will pass! I don't want you guys to give up on this story, alright? The ending (ending as in, all chapter post 'last angsty thiam scene') is going to blow you all away (I speak in Hamilton references). Please, keep reading okay? And let me know what you think :)
> 
> P.S. I didn't mean to make all those puns about Scott seeing :)


	6. Let's Just Find Each Other.

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> And then there were three...

_'Find me when you are hurting._

_Find me when you are broken._

_Find me when your mind is a mess_

_and your heart is falling apart._

_I have already seen you_

_as a beautiful, ancient thing_

_that lives in dreams._

_And even beautiful, ancient things_

_are allowed to feel broken_

_and loved for it anyway'_

_-Nikita Gill, Find Me_

 

“Do you wanna be with me?" Liam blinked, hands suddenly still while on their way to Theo’s hair. Theo was now on top of Liam, who looked completely and utterly dumbfounded under the Chimera.

“What?” Liam whispered, sure that he had understood him wrong. Liam blinked once more, but he wasn’t dreaming. Theo was there, within arm’s reach, with tears on his handsome face, asking him the stupidest question Liam had ever heard coming from him.

“Do you want to be with me? Like _be with me,_ be with me?” Theo repeated, voice low, like it hurt him to say the words, though his eyes searched relentless for an answer in Liam’s.

“What are you _talking_ about?” Liam whispered, eyes wide as Theo growled. And it wasn’t a nice growl, the kind they had exchanged a lot in the past hours. It was a hurt growl, frustrated and _broken_. Liam whimpered, hands reaching for Theo’s clothes when the Chimera started moving away, almost as if burned by Liam’s words “No, no, stop, _please!_ Where’s this coming from? Talk to me, what are you talking about?”

“Scott was here” Theo whispered, so low no human could have possibly heard him. But Liam heard him. Oh, Liam heard him and those three words made his blood boil.

“What?” Liam whispered, but didn’t wait for an answer. Theo’s attitude was enough of a reply “I swear to God, when I find him, I’m gonna beat his sorry ass so hard not even Melissa…”

“No, he didn’t say anything bad, this is… just me” Theo reached for Liam, breathing heavily. Liam’s hands got to his neck, feeling warm on his skin, traveling through his body in a way that made him calm down ever since Scott had walked into the house ‘I just… I can’t…”

“Theo, look at me” Theo shook his head, refusing to look at Liam. Where was the confident Chimera from the night before, huh? “I didn’t kiss you in the elevator because I thought I was going to die or because of the Anuk-Ite or… whatever” Theo snapped his head at Liam, a new set of tears coming up to his long lashes “Yeah, okay, they contributed, because I was afraid of dying, but above anything else, I was afraid I was going to die without ever getting to finally kiss you the way that I wanted, to even look at you, ever again, argue with you, see your smile…”

“Fuck, you’re not lying…” Theo whispered, his hand coming up to rest on Liam’s chest, even before he was done talking, as if his ears had betrayed him, the Beta smiling “Fuck, you’re not lying” Theo had his eyes closed, panting as he felt the steady thumping of Liam’s heart under his palm, four milliseconds in between each beat, like always.

“Of course I’m not lying” Liam laughed, reaching for Theo’s hand, his free one reaching for the Chimera’s shoulder to bring him closer, fingers in his hair, tugging at the strands like he knew Theo loved “I want to be with you, Theo. I’ve wanted to for a while now. I don’t know what the future holds, but if you’re in it, I’m fine with anything”

Theo smiled, lying down to kiss the living daylights out of Liam, the Beta circling his waist with his legs, pulling him so close their bodies were almost one. Liam could feel his wolf relaxing, retreating back to the deepest part of his being, almost as if hibernating, if wolves could do such a thing. Liam felt almost… _human._

Liam smiled, hands moving to the hem of his hoodie, tugging at it so Theo would get out of it. They laughed at how small it was on him, getting stuck around his head, Liam throwing it across the room once Theo was free. There was a large smile on his face, one that made something warm and deliciously needed travel through Liam.

It was clear Theo had his fair share of insecurities, buried deep under all of his wit and wicked grins. Well, it used to be hidden, but not from Liam. Not anymore. And all Liam wanted to do was erase each and every single of them. He wasn’t perfect, like Theo thought, and the Chimera didn’t even dream how wrong he was to think of him like that.

“Well…” Theo spoke, hands on the mattress as his hair stood in every direction after battling with the hoodie “... _that_ was sexy”

Liam laughed, his hands coming to touch Theo’s chest, the Beta sitting on the bed to get closer to him, his legs still loose around the Chimera’s waist.

“You _are_ sexy…” Liam whispered, his hand caressing its way up Theo’s pectoral, up his neck and into his hair, the Chimera’s eyes closing for a moment before getting lost inside Liam’s, hands reaching for the Beta’s hips “You’re _so_ fucking sexy, Theo…”

Liam watched as one of the corners of Theo’s delicious mouth tugged into his devilish smile, the Chimera pulling him closer and into a kiss again, thankful that the Beta was still naked from the night before.

Theo set Liam back on the bed, fists on the bed as he rested on top of him, the Beta never letting him get too far.

“Scott said he’s already working on a plan to get Beacon Hills back on track, there’s even going to be a pack meeting tonight” Theo spoke, his hands moving so he could lower himself a bit more, get closer to Liam’s warmth, feeling the Beta chuckle under him “He asked me to keep you safe once he leaves, but Liam, there’s something I want to ask you and I want you think about it very carefully before answering, alright?” 

“Okay, I promise…” Liam whispered, eyes watching Theo as he reached for the Chimera’s hands, intertwining their fingers, Liam’s hands covering the top of Theo’s awkwardly, but they didn’t complain, glad to just feel each other’s skins.

“Do you want to stay in Beacon Hills?” Theo asked, eyes on Liam “Do you want to stay here, finish high school and then, if you want, leave? Or do you wanna sell this house and finish your education somewhere else?”

That wasn’t the question Liam had been expecting. Well, truth be told, he hadn’t known what to expect, really. Theo offering for them to leave Beacon Hills certainly was _not_ it. Liam had thought about it, about staying and about leaving. Selling the house would give them a lot of money, but it just wasn’t a good time to sell the place and it could take them months, _years_ even. Staying just didn’t feel right, either.

“Just think about it” Theo shrugged, thumbs caressing Liam’s knuckles, eyes traveling down the Beta’s chest, tongue desperate to map his collarbones and abs once more “Whatever you decide, Liam, I’m perfectly fine with it. I’ll go wherever you go, alright?”

“I love you”

Liam whispered, his hands squeezing Theo’s, a smile playing on his lips. Theo lifted his gaze to look at him, the Chimera not even breathing. Theo’s eyes were wide with shock, his heart beating like crazy against his ribcage. A human being would’ve probably died by now.

“What…?”

“I love you, Theo” Liam whispered again, pulling Theo down into him, letting go of the Chimera’s hands to go down and undo the tiny lace of his sweatpants. Theo’s eyes never left his, his muscles frozen as his mind failed, time and again, to process Liam’s words “I love you…”

“What…” Theo whispered, not even a question tone to the word. Theo’s ears still couldn’t believe the words and Liam repeated them as many times as it was necessary for Theo to understand “You…?”

“I love you…” Liam guided Theo’s palm to his chest, nodding his head when Theo started shaking his, his heart steady as he repeated the words, the Chimera’s eyes lost inside his “I love you, Theo Raeken”

Theo let out a laugh, his eyes closing in pure delighted disbelief as he covered his mouth, Liam smiling up at him. Liam’s heart was beating like crazy, but not from lying. It was beating like it did whenever Theo made him laugh or kissed his neck. Liam’s heart was pounding against his hand like a drum and suddenly everything in Theo settled, his Chimera quiet for the first time since he opened his eyes in the lab.

“You love me?” Theo whispered, palm against Liam’s chest, counting every beat as the Beta pulled him closer.

“I do, Theo, so _much”_ Liam smiled, pulling Theo down into his mouth, the Chimera smiling against his lips, breaking the kiss not a moment later and sliding down to Liam’s neck smoothly “God…”

“Fuck, I love you, Liam” Theo pulled back, resting on his thighs as he held Liam’s head in between his hands gently, smiling at the wolf “I love you so fucking much, baby”

“Yeah?” Liam whimpered, biting his lips through his smile as he teased Theo’s still covered cock with his own, rocking back into him as their lips hovered against each other. Theo moved his hand to the pillow under Liam’s head, gladly letting the Beta bring him in for a kiss “You do?” Theo nodded, rocking back, hands then coming to hold Liam’s waist and thighs as they grinded into each other. Just like their first time “Then prove it”

Theo stared at him for a second his hands were snapping into action, his trademark smirk taking over his handsome face, the Chimera pushing the sweats down and throwing them over his shoulder. But Liam raised his hands, stopping him, panting from all of their kissing.

“There’s something I want to try…” Liam spoke and all Theo could do was stare as the Beta moved slowly to rest on his hands and knees.

And there he was. Liam’s wolf taking over, even if just momentarily, _presenting_ to Theo. His neck was bared in submission, every muscle relaxed as he just breathed, looking back at Theo, whimpering softly, begging to be taken.

“Fuck me, Theo” Liam asked, blunt nails reaching for whatever it was that he could reach of Theo “Please, fuck me…”

Something changed inside Theo, then. The storm inside his being hadn’t changed, his feelings for Liam just as wild as ever, but now this was serious. Before there was always a chance Liam would back away, would snap out of it and realize it was Theo he had been sharing a bed with. But, with the Beta like this, Theo knew there was no turning back. Liam was giving himself completely over to him and Theo could feel the roar growing inside his chest, pushing past his diaphragm, a snarl out of his lips before he could stop himself.

“No, baby” Theo growled, eyes flashing yellow. Theo smirked, Liam moaning when the Chimera’s hand caressed his back, from his crack up to his nape, coming back to hold his hips. Liam had the side of his face against the mattress, watching Theo’s face as the Chimera lined his dick to Liam’s ass, his legs automatically spreading a bit more to give him more room. And Liam closed his eyes, moaning as Theo’s next words washed over him “I’m gonna make love to you”

But as soon as the tip of Theo’s dick pushed past his rim, it was Liam who pushed back. Theo closed his eyes, biting his lips as Liam didn’t give him time to react. The wolf whimpered his name under him, hands reaching for Theo’s thigh. Theo could only watch the show as Liam fucked himself on his cock. It was singlehandedly the hottest, sexiest, most amazing thing Theo had ever seen.

Theo kept his hands just above Liam’s hips, not away from him, not quite touching him either, the Beta doing the work for the two of them.

“Theo…” Liam moaned, eyes closed. Theo shushed him softly, eyes fixed on his round ass working, hips grinding as his rim opened wide to take all of Theo in “Theo, please…”

“I’m here, baby” Theo then pressed Liam down on the bed, the Beta moaning as Theo pushed in, fucking him so deep Liam’s vision got all blurry. And Liam _loved_ it “You’re so good for me, Liam, fuck…”

“I love you…” Theo smiled, hands under Liam’s chest as he reached for his arms ands hands, resting completely against the Beta so he could go as deep as possible. Theo started slow and steady, Liam holding onto his hands and never letting him go, letting himself be teased by Theo like only the man knew how to do.

“Fuck, it feels so fucking good…” Theo breathed out against Liam’s skin, kissing the Beta’s shoulder blade, his neck, nuzzling his hair line and cheek as the Beta smiled, biting his lips. Liam could only take it, the heat from Theo’s body against his working to get him relaxed, yet strong, like he had never been before.

Then Theo reached for his dick, warm, sweaty fingers closing in around the shaft like a vine, jerking Liam off along with each thrust of his hips, the Chimera’s dick pulsing as it dragged inside of him. Liam hissed, moaning as his hips bucked, chasing the feeling, but not wanting to get away from Theo’s cock. Not that Theo’s embrace would’ve allowed it. Theo’s hand moved with their bodies, but never moved faster.

“Theo…” Liam arched his back, hands on Theo’s arm as he bit the Chimera’s bicep softly, the man chuckling “Theo, God… _please,_ please, harder…”

“Shh, baby, I got you” All Theo did was drag his dick ever more, but he didn’t push harder, his fingers working the base of Liam’s dick as it grew thick in his hand. Theo wanted it to last, taking his time to get to the most sensitive part of him. Theo wanted to give it all to Liam, wanted to just let it all go and give Liam his everything, but they had plenty of time for that “I’m right here, Liam…”

“I love you, Theo…” Liam whispered, panting, in between lungfuls of oxygen, his skin shining from sweat as it slid smoothly against Theo’s, their balls making the most beautiful noise as they slapped together. Theo smiled, biting his lips as he rested his forehead against Liam’s back, his hips working in longer thrusts, hands sliding to the tip of Liam’s dick, the Beta biting harder into his arm “Fuck, fuck, _fuck,_ Theo…”

“I love you, baby… I fucking… love you” Theo felt his dick twitch, his abs flexing as his orgasm built like a crescendo inside of him. He worked Liam’s dick in between his thumb and index fingers, keeping the head locked tight as he jerked him off in circles just like Liam had done to him the night before “Fuck, Liam, fuck… Liam, _fuck,_ Liam…”

“I’m here…” Liam moaned, hand reaching for Theo’s neck as the Beta shivered, head hung low as a roar grew inside his chest. Theo moved his hand further back, down to the base of his cock as Liam came, the wolf shaking under him, hands holding Theo tight as he screamed. Theo let go of Liam’s cock to press the Beta down onto the mattress, Liam whimpering, spent and fucked out, as he simply fisted Theo’s hair, not letting him go “I’m here, Theo… cum, cum inside me, please...”

And Theo did. Theo’s dick shot loads inside Liam, his hips not moving as he went as deep as he could, too tired to even hold himself up. Liam hugged him as best as he could, licking at the bite he had left on his arm. Theo panted, eyes closed and not ready to let go of Liam, of the hand he had gripped tight in his own.

“Can I...” Theo started, swallowing, still breathless, moaning even with the slightest movement “Can we stay here for a moment?”

Liam smiled, nodding. Theo kissed his nape and in no time they found themselves zoning out for a couple of minutes, after Theo made sure Liam was in a comfortable enough position, just breathing and resting. Theo was still spooning Liam from behind, but the Beta still had his fingers in his hair, the Chimera kissing his shoulder and neck every so often, sighing happily.

That was their only interaction. There was nothing that needed to be said. They loved each other, they were going to be together through the rebirth of Beacon Hills, staying for much longer or not. It was a moment of calmness, so perfectly still it was like they could hear everything, all the way to the other side of town.

“Best sex of my life, baby” Theo whispered, eventually, when he knew they had to get up. It was way past midday and Liam had to eat. Theo wanted to get the Beta back to full health and, despite being clearly better, it was an instinct Theo just couldn’t fight “Definitely, best sex of my life”

“I was going to say that it was for me too, but I don’t really have anyone to compare you to, so…” Liam shrugged, hissing in complete shock when Theo slapped him, _actually_ slapped his asscheek “Fuck, what was that for?”

“Because just like I was your first…” Theo reached for the base of his dick, hissing, closing his eyes and pulled out. Liam whimpered and Theo actually considered going back inside, but fought that need “... I’m gonna be your last”

Liam could only smile up at the Chimera now looking down at him. Gosh, who knew Theo could be so cheesy, huh? But Liam simply smiled, pulling him down for a kiss.

“Works for me” Liam whispered once they pulled away “I can even get behind a couple more slaps, here and there”

Theo could only laugh, pulling Liam closer and hoisting him up into his arms. Liam hugged him tight, knowing exactly where Theo was going. The Chimera only put him down once the shower water was warm enough for his liking, Liam’s skin covered in goosebumps.

“What you said, about leaving” Liam spoke under the hot shower spray, Theo’s eyes on him as he brushed his wet hair back, a hand working to wash the dry cum off his abs “I’m not sure I want to, I mean… I’m used to having this place to myself by now, I like having some peace and quiet, though I don’t really care where I finish school”

“But it’s a pack thing too, huh?” Liam nodded, not sure Theo would understand “Well, we could hear what Scott has to say, test the waters for a bit. It’ll take some time before things go back to _normal,_ normal. Leaving will _always_ be an option anyway. I’ll find a job, go to school even” Theo shrugged, hands going down Liam’s neck, resting on his shoulders “Maybe we could sell this house if you want, get a smaller place instead, something we can actually afford”

Liam loved the sound of that, allof it. Because Theo put himself in the words, there was a  _we._ He wanted it all, wanted to finish school, wanted to get to have his peace and quiet with Theo. Liam passed his arms around Theo’s waist, kissing the man’s lips firmly before pulling away, the Chimera moaning, arched brows.

“What was that for, baby?” Theo whispered, brushing Liam’s hair back again, glad that the Beta didn’t pull away from the hug they had come to find themselves in.

“For adding yourself to the plan, for staying” Theo smiled, resting his forehead against Liam’s, thumbs caressing his cheeks.

“For the first time in my life, Liam” Theo whispered, eyes closed, his voice and heart steady as he brought Liam closer into his embrace “I’m exactly where I’ve desperately been craving to be. With you”

 

* * *

 

But the meeting goes to shit as soon as Theo and Liam walk into the McCall household. The room had fallen silent, the quiet laughter dying down when a roar broke through the evening air, instincts kicking in and a blur of motions taking over the room.

It takes both Derek and Scott, with some (a lot) of help from Corey, to hold Theo back. Because Gabe was there. With Nolan. Standing in the living room, staring back at them like they weren’t the ones responsible for Theo’s worst nightmare nearly coming true.

Scott tried to explain, but it had been useless, the Chimera past the point of reasoning as soon as he stopped walking, his smile gone as his eyes never moved from Gabe’s form across the room, an arm protectively around Liam. Theo’s fangs were out in a challenge and Derek had jumped into movement, shoving him back a couple of steps.

But it hadn’t been nearly enough to stop him, not an enraged Chimera. Not when Theo had a purpose. Corey pulled him from behind as Scott ran to help Derek, everyone in position to interfere, Chris’s hand in the tranquilizer gun Scott had talked him into carrying that specific night. The former Hunter understood the Alpha now.

“Theo! Theo, hear me out! Theo! Stop!” Derek growled, jaw snapping at Scott. Talking wouldn’t work. Gabe had attacked Liam, it wasn’t something Theo couldn’t get over with mere words “It was the Anuk-Ite! We all want peace, we don’t have to be friends, we’re just here to discuss terms!”

“I got _this_ close to losing Liam, will you _ever_ be able to comprehend that?!” Theo snapped at him, words muffled because of the fangs, but they wall understood him. Especially Gabe. The kid seemed so small, despite standing at incredible 6 feet tall, Nolan by his side as they just stood there, not sure of what was going to happen next “I don’t care if God or the fucking President of the United States made him do it, he’s not walking out of here alive!”

Theo struggled even more against the grip they had on him and all Liam could do was stare at how Nolan rested his forehead against Gabe’s arm, sliding his hand into the taller boy’s. Everyone else was just too busy to see it, but Liam couldn’t take his eyes from them. And it burned him, his eyes, his brain, the sight etching itself into his memory for all eternity.

“Liam! A little help here!”

The room fell silent when all they could hear was Liam laughing. Liam was fucking laughing at Scott’s words. Help? He wasn’t going to help  _Gabe._ Liam was a fucking _fantastic_ person, but there was just so much he could forgive. His own _murder_ , supernatural fear creature or no supernatural fear creature, was just way too off limits, even for him.

“Theo can rip him to _shreds_ for all I care” Liam spoke calmly, now that the room had fallen dead silent. Liam could feel all eyes on him, but Theo’s. Liam had his eyes fixed on Nolan and Gabe’s hands, the two holding each other, remembering all the times he had wished he could have just reached over and grabbed Theo’s and how close he had gotten to never having that.

It wasn’t fair that Gabe got to have the one thing Liam had always dreamed of. Not after what he had done.

“Since we’re such monsters and deserve to be put down, after all. How come they get to discuss ‘peace terms’ when we were the ones struggling to survive, day in and day out, with a target up our asses, while they held the guns shooting at us? Shooting at Lydia, at Melissa, at Mason. Shooting at _me!”_

“I can barely pay for my own hot water and groceries, is that the kind of terms you want to discuss? Is it human enough of a problem for you? I don’t understand, why is it that I can get shot and he gets to remain unharmed? Is it because I heal? Two seconds longer and it would have been too late. Two seconds longer and this motherfucker would have had my life to his casualty count. Tell me, Alpha, how is it fair? Why is he here? I was afraid, just like he was, just like here is _right now!_ I was in love, just like he is _right now!_ And I almost lost my chance with Theo because of him, so no. I’m not going to help you. I’m going to _stand_ here and _enjoy_ watching Theo rip his throat apart”

And as they all just stood there, baffled, to say the _very_ least, Theo used that moment to break free from Derek, taking only four large steps. Suddenly his claws were in Gabe’s neck, the boy’s back slammed against the nearest wall, the air getting knocked right out of his lungs.

All they could hear was Nolan screaming at Theo, his words a series of incoherent pleas. Theo didn’t listen, his handsome face contorted into an expression of pure concentration, eyes sharp and flashing bright at the kid, who gripped his arm tight, nails slashing his skin open, only to witness as it knit itself back together a mere second later.

Derek grabbed Scott before the Alpha could move, the Evolved One not taking his eyes off of Theo’s back as he held onto him, keeping him where he was.

“Near him like this and the kid’s dead” Derek whispered “All Theo wants is to protect Liam and if you try to get in the way, he’ll kill you too”

Scott blinked in horror at the situation in front of him, wondering how things could have gotten so out of control so fast. This wasn’t what Scott had meant when he asked Theo to look out for Liam. He had thought something like that _could_ happen, hell, he had _expected_ something like that to happen.

But he hadn’t thought Liam would have behaved like he had, just cold and unfeeling, so out of character. There had been so much pain in his eyes, such an anger to his words the Alpha inside Scott just wanted to get him out of there, make sure his Beta was alright. They all had their issues with being hunted, but clearly it was affecting Liam and Theo the hardest and Scott feared it would be too late to do something about it now.

“Liam! Liam, please, don’t let him do this!” Nolan begged, his hair a complete mess as he looked from Theo to Liam, then to Gabe. Gabe had stopped moving, mouth open as wide as he could to get as much air as possible inside his lungs “Liam, please!”

“Why should I spare him? Or _you,_ for that matter?So you can come back and kill us all? Take Liam from me, for real this time? Or move on and practice somewhere else?” Theo smirked, claws a millimeter from breaking skin “It’s funny how I’m the one who has the fangs and the claws, but you’re the one who’s begging for a monster’s life! He shot Liam! _My_ Liam! He held a machine gun and fired _at Liam!_ Not at _me,_ not at _Corey,_ not at _Mason,_ not at _Melissa._ At _Liam._ Because he was scared? Scared of a boy who has never done _a thing_ to deserve it? If it had been me we wouldn’t be having this conversation. A lot of people in this room want to put a bullet in my head. So, tell me. Why would I let you live, when you tried to kill the one person who actually matters to me?”

“Because he’s my Liam” Nolan answered, taking a large step forward and letting his chest touch Theo’s arm “And he fucked up, way past the point of forgiveness, I know. But so did I. I attacked Liam, who had never been anything but nice to me, I turned to whole town against him, against you. I let myself believe Monroe. I saw things I didn’t have an explanation for and I trusted the wrong people. I’m sorry I was too late to understand that, I tried to help Liam by telling him about the wolves she was experimenting on and that’s why he ended up at the hospital. It was _my_ fault he was there in the first place. By the time I walked away, it was too late to bring Gabe with me”

Nolan didn’t back away, even when Theo’s eyes came to look at him. Nolan wasn’t lying, not a single word that came out of his mouth was a lie. Though Theo didn’t loosen his hold on Gabe, he didn’t snap his neck either, so _progress._

“When I was 9 years old, my best friend was killed right in front of me” Gabe wheezed out, Nolan turning to him. Gabe reached his hand out, their fingers intertwined as the taller boy tried to find the right words to say “And the one thing I remembered from it all were the eyes from the creature that killed him. An Omega, we know that now. When Nolan told me about you, I believed him. I’m… sorry for what I’ve done, for what I convinced people to do to you, Liam. But when I _saw_ your eyes, now that we know of this Anuk-Ite thing… the nightmares came back, all of the memories I had suppressed, the rage I felt for not being able to do anything to save him...”

All heads turned to look at Liam when the Beta started moving, walking towards Theo. The Chimera growled loudly at Liam, smelling the Beta nearing them, lips in a snarl, commanding him to step back. Derek and Scott were ready to interfere, Corey grabbing Mason’s hands gently before the boy could bite all his fingernails completely.

“Theo…” Liam spoke softly, walking with confidence over to the Chimera “... let him go”

“What?! No! The actual fuck are you talking about?! He almost killed you?!” Theo’s back went completely stiff when Liam rested against him, right arm hugging him tightly, forehead resting in between his tense shoulder blades “Liam…”

“Listen to their hearts” Liam whispered and it was enough to shut Theo up. It went deeper than just recognizing lie from truth. There was fear, resonating in their very bones, beating inside their chests like horses heading into battle. Nolan held onto Gabe’s shirt, the taller boy not moving an inch.

Liam’s right hand moved from the place it had been resting for a few seconds, slowly finding Theo’s outstretched arm and sliding to his hand. Those were the longest twenty five seconds of their lives, all of them. But then Gabe’s body was falling to the floor, the boy’s eyes wide as he finally started breathing, throat scratching as he coughed.

Theo stumbled back a couple of steps, horrified as he watched Liam kneel, hand on the side of Gabe’s face. The Chimera snapped and growled inside of him, watching in wild fury as Liam let black veins go up his arm. Gabe’s chest stopped heaving, Nolan resting against him as he watched in awe Liam, _Liam,_ of all people, help Gabe heal.

“Okay? Better?” Gabe nodded, hand reaching for Nolan. Liam smiled at them “When did _this_ happen?” Nolan looked down at their joined hands, a smile to his lips as he clearly remembered the moment they became something more.

“Not too long ago” Nolan used his free hand to wipe beads of sweats from Gabe’s face, the boy smiling softly at him as he rested his head back “Thank you, Liam. And we _are_ sorry. As soon as the Anuk-Ite was gone… I can’t explain to you how guilty I felt”

“It’s okay, it’s all over now” Liam sighed “I’m not saying it’ll be easy to forgive and forget, but we can just take a day at a time”

“Liam?” Theo’s voice made everyone jump. Looking back at the Chimera, Liam knew he had to get Theo out of there. Liam stood, walking back and simply reaching out his hand for Theo to take, not stopping on his way to the door.

“School and part time job, just like it was before” Liam spoke, ignoring how Theo brushed his fingers repeatedly against the hand that had touched Gabe’ skin “I hope we can get past all this bullshit, but we will keep our distance if they keep theirs, at least for now, while the dust settles”

Nolan stood, a hand on Gabe’s shoulder to push himself up, all the adrenaline gone from his bloodstream. As soon as he took a step forward, even if there was an entire room in between them, Theo growled, head snapping to look at him.

“Now’s not a good time, Nolan, his instincts are all over the place” Liam explained, hand on Theo’s chest, head turned to Nolan “Let’s let him cool off and then we’ll talk, alright?” Nolan nodded, sitting back down with Gabe.

There was a lot the humans of Beacon Hills didn’t know about the Wolves, Chimeras and Coyotes that lived amongst them and Liam seriously doubted Scott, even if the Sheriff, Parish, hell, even if Derek himself helped, could get them to understand who they were as human being, not only as supernatural creatures.

“Those are the terms” Liam stopped by Scott and Derek, pulling Theo along, who hugged his waist tightly “Nolan and Gabe might have understood who we are, that we want peace, but good luck getting all of Beacon Hills to do the same. Call if you need me, alright? Sorry we can’t stay” Scott nodded, hand on the back of Liam’s neck as he sighed, watching his Beta leave “Sorry this happened, Miss McCall”

Melissa smiled at him, a hand on his shoulder as they left the house. And as soon as the door closed, they all just stood where they were, listening as Liam put Theo inside the truck and drove off.

“What the hell just happened?” Malia asked what everyone was thinking, hands in the pockets of her coat as she hugged the fabric closer to her skin.

“That was our baby Liam being the next Alpha of Beacon Hills” Stiles said, speaking up for the first time, hand reaching for Derek so the wolf would come closer to him, keep him warm with a hug “Theo was, well, Theo. A little violent, but you did shoot Liam”

“Never heard Liam talk like that” Scott whispered, thinking back to his Beta’s words “So angry, he would’ve never…”

“I had it coming, I tried to kill him” Gabe spoke, now calm. Nolan had his head on his shoulder, hand in his as they just breathed together “We can’t blame him for being angry”

“I don’t blame him for being angry” Scott said, turning back to his pack “I blame him for being affected by it”

“What would you do if someone had shot me?” Malia asked, sitting next to Lydia, who bumped shoulders with her, softly.

“It’s different…” Scott started, but if there was one thing he should have seen coming was that his pack wouldn’t let him get away with a biased opinion.

“It’s not” Corey said, hand protective on Mason’s thigh as the boy sat on his lap. Mason smiled down at him, arm hugging the Chimera’ shoulders “It’s not, because you would’ve reacted _just_ like Theo. Or Liam, for that matter. We all would” Corey smiled, squeezing Mason’s waist when his boyfriend reached for his hand, intertwining their fingers.

“Scott, Liam’s gonna be fine, you saw how controlled he was” Stiles spoke, hand on Derek’s cheek when the wolf sighed, hand reluctantly letting go of his waist as Stiles neared his best friend “So will Theo because they have each other, our main concern now is to find a way for us all to live in peace together, move on with our lives and still come up with a plan to keep the other Nemetons safe, all while tracking down Monroe”

“Tracking down Monroe could take months” Chris spoke, thumb caressing Melissa’s knuckles “We could try and alert the packs Derek’s family was acquaintanced with, let them know about the plans to use the Nemetons but, for now, I’m afraid it’s all we can do. Beacon Hills needs our undivided attention”

“We will contact every deputy we can and make sure they are on our side, Stiles and Derek are already with me, along with Jordan, Mason and Corey. Lydia will work closely with her mother to get the school board back under control, we’ll do whatever is necessary to make sure every supernatural is accepted back in school by the beginning of the next semestre” Noah spoke, posture changed as he detailed the plan they had so far “I guess all we can do is make a list of every supernatural student that survived, talk to them and make sure they are interested in returning, in a peace settlement, we have to be bureaucratical about this”

“That is all great” Melissa spoke, hand on Chris’ shoulder “But what will we do if _they_ don’t agree to a peace settlement?”

“They will” Nolan spoke, already on his feet and leaving his hands out for Gabe. They both sat on the couch, Gabe’s arm around Nolan’s shoulders as his lips rested against the side of his head “They will, they were all scared. When the Anuk-Ite disappeared, it’s like the spell was broken and we were suddenly standing there, with guns in our hands. We could still remember everything, but we were more horrified of the things _we_ had done” Gabe only nodded, hand caressing Nolan’s arm, keeping him warm in that cold night “So they will settle, we know they will”

“Okay, then” Lydia said, grabbing a large folder and her car keys “Tomorrow morning I have a meeting with mom to discuss everything we need, Scott and Malia, I expect you there” Lydia made her way to the door “We better get some rest, because we got a whole lot of work to do and not a whole lot of time”

 

* * *

 

The Chimera didn’t calm down, not even when Theo walked into Liam’s room and all he could smell was the sex they had had that morning. Liam was always around him, with him, touching him, talking to him, but it wasn’t enough to keep him under control.

Theo knew what it was that was running through his veins. It was fear. Not the kind of fear the Anuk-Ite had made him feel, not even when he saw the blood spreading on the hospital floor. It was worse, etching into his very DNA and Theo couldn’t help but think he just wouldn’t be able to get rid of that feeling, even if Liam was right there, in his arms, safe.

And that’s why, with Liam’s back against his chest, hands on his waist, Theo was pushing into him, dick not even fully hard yet, instead of sleeping. Liam squeezed his arm, holding him close as he relaxed completely. Theo needed him, needed to feel him completely. It wasn’t something mere words could brush away.

Theo’s hand found Liam’s thigh, lifting it as he fucked into the Beta. Liam moaned, cheeks blushing to a deep red at the new position. His arm circled Theo’s back, desperate to touch him in any way he could. Theo let Liam use his bicep as a pillow, arm closing on top of his chest.

“Theo… Theo, oh, God, _yes…"_ Liam moaned, eyes rolling back when Theo found his prostate, nailing him perfectly, sending a thunderstorm through his veins “Theo..”

Theo rested his forehead against Liam’s shoulder, closing his eyes. The tiles were the first thing he saw. The white tiles stained with blood, dark, thick, werewolf blood. It had happened before, the images coming back. But not like this, not all at once.

Theo saw Liam on the floor again, sitting against the wall as he couldn’t heal himself. And it was like a nightmare he just couldn’t wake up from. Liam was right there, moaning in pleasure, alive and breathing in his arms, but he couldn’t wake up.

And that’s when it snapped, his control. It started with his fangs, long, sharp canines extending past his lip as he clenched his jaw, keeping them away from Liam. Then his eyes, burning, forcing him to keep them shut since all the light from the moon and street lamp made them water, his eyelids not strong enough to protect the yellow irises.

“Theo, fuck…” Liam gasped when Theo put his leg down, the Chimera growling as his hips slapped against Liam’s “Fuck, yeah, Theo…” Theo hugged Liam close to him, the Beta returning the hug just as intensely, as best as he could as Theo pounded into him.

And Liam came when Theo roared, mouth open wide to let the sound be heard miles and miles past the Beacon County borderline. Theo’s hips bucked a few times, pumping his load deep inside of Liam, the Beta moaning as his orgasm left him blissed out and exhausted.

But it wasn’t enough. Cumming inside Liam wasn’t enough. Gabe was still all that rushed through his mind and the Chimera was taking over him, bit by bit. And, before Theo could stop himself, there _they_ were, _inches_ away from Liam’s _heart._

 _His claws_.

And with whatever control he had left, Theo pulled out of Liam, ignoring the tightness in his chest when Liam hissed and cried out in pain, standing from the bed.

Before Liam could understand what he was doing and try to stop him, Theo grabbed the first clothes he could find on the floor and jumped out of the window, still completely naked. It wasn’t the best idea, the Chimera landing roughly on the ground, but as soon as the night air hit him, the human in him was completely gone.

And Liam just sat there, hearing Theo’s feet thump on the grass, as a long, pained howl broke the night air. With Theo’s cum dripping out of him, Liam just stared ahead, arms coming to hug himself.

It was hard for the Beta to understand the feeling inside his chest, since all he could relate it to was his parents leaving. _No!_ Theo wouldn’t just leave him like that. Theo wouldn’t _fuck_ him and leave like that.

_No._

_No._

_No._

_He wouldn’t._

_He wouldn’t leave me. He’s not like them._

_He loves me._

Liam couldn’t breathe. His brain told him to move, but his body was frozen in place. His room, his bed, his clothes, his skin smelled of Theo and all he wanted was to just curl into himself and cry.

It felt just like it had been when his parents had left. When he came home to find their clothes gone, shoes missing, all in a mess as proof of their hurry. Except it felt worse. Because it was Theo. The love of his _life._ How could he just…

That’s when Liam saw it.

The pillow, destroyed, ruined by claws. His hand shook a bit as he reached for it, wiping away tears he hadn’t even noticed he had let fall. His eyes went wide when he found puncture marks as well, his index finger tracing them.

Then it all made sense. The roar, the sex itself. Liam was moving before his brain could even truly catch up to it all. Kneeling on the floor, his hands searched his jeans for his phone, fumbling around until he found Scott’s number.

By the window, Liam inhaled deeply, phone against his ear. He wasn’t the best tracker in their pack, but he knew Theo the best. He _had_ to find him.

“Liam?”

“Scott! Thank God you answered! You gotta help me find Theo!” Liam picked his clothes from the ground and rushed downstairs, not letting Scott talk “Find Gabe and Nolan and make sure they're safe, Theo last control over the Chimera and left, he just took off, running, I couldn’t see where he went, I think he’s gonna end up doing something stupid”

Liam only stopped to put his shoes on, grabbing the truck keys and locking his house.

“Are you hurt?” Liam could hear Scott standing from his bed, could hear Malia asking him what was wrong.

“I’m fine” Liam got into the truck, turning the engine on and not bothering with the seatbelt “Look, I’m sorry for bothering you and Malia, I have a pretty good idea where he might be, just keep Gabe and Nolan safe and text me if he does show up, will you? I’ll let you know when I find him, no need for a commotion or a search party, he’s already angry enough”

And so was Liam, because it took him 45 minutes to find Theo. And in those 45 minutes, all sorts of things rushed through his mind. What would he find? A bloodbath? Theo alive? Dead? Liam was angry. But it wasn’t the kind of anger that made him lose control over the wolf. No, he was perfectly in check with himself as he pressed down harder onto the gas pedal.

He was angry at Theo for thinking he couldn’t trust Liam to help him. And when Liam finally found Theo, the Chimera standing up from the floor, in the middle of the woods, out in the _middle of fucking nowhere,_ Liam was fulminating. Theo had just been sitting there when he heard the characteristic hum of his truck’s engine, smelling himself on Liam not two moments later.

Oh, but the anger. The anger Theo _knew_  he deserved. It made him feel pain, worse than anything he had ever experienced. Because that’s how Liam used to react to his actions, before they were together, before they cared. And going back to that made Theo feel like he had been buried 11 feet under ground.

But he hadn’t seen the punch coming, quite literally. Liam’s left hook greeting his jaw and sending him back a couple of steps, the Chimera surprised. When Theo opened his eyes again, the pain almost gone once more, that’s when Liam started talking.

“What the fuck were you thinking, huh?!” Liam had tears of pure rage in his beautiful blue eyes, the cold two a.m. air making his nose look ever redder, his cheeks flushed, though he was in perfect control of himself “How could you just fucking _leave_ me like that?!”

“Liam, I lost control over the Chimera…” Theo started, but Liam didn’t let him explain, punching his arm next, not even remotely as strong as before, but enough to bruise, even if just for a few seconds.

“I _know,_ you idiot!” Liam screamed, voice cracking with fury “But by the time I saw the claw marks you left behind on the pillow I had already had a fucking panic attack, Theo! Do you know when was the last time I had a panic attack? It was when my parents left! But this time, it hurt exponentially more! Because I was there, thinking you had _left_ me! Did you hear me?! By the time I finally understood, I thought you had just…”

"What the _actual_ fuck are you talking about, Liam? I would have never left you” Theo took a step closer, only to witness Liam taking one back “I lost control, Liam, my _claws_ were right above your _heart._ I could’ve killed you! Do you think I could’ve lived with myself if I had done something like that? I’m not sorry I left”

“So, you’re just gonna leave when things get too much? You gonna walk out on me?" Liam spoke, a smile so full of pain on his face, his voice defeated, it hurt Theo to look at his handsome face “Why didn’t you tell me that it was haunting you so much? Me almost dying? Why not just tell me? When I’m right _here?_ When I poured my heart our for you just this morning? When we made love just this morning?” Theo covered his face with his hands, Liam’s words making it sound worse than it did in his head. It made it all real, losing control, all of his fucking issues “I would have hugged you, kissed you until your Chimera believed that I was finally safe again, _because_ of you” Liam spoke, voice much softer now, eyes on the ground. The air was cold around them, his lungs stinging with each inhale of oxygen, but neither of them cared “You can’t _leave_ me like that, Theo, you would’ve never hurt me”

Liam looked up when Theo started walking towards him, not moving away this time. Theo brought Liam’s hand to his chest, the Beta not sure where he was going with this, the fear in his eyes, the panting of his chest.

“Do you feel that?” Theo whispered, eyes closed as Liam’s warm hand made him feel calmer immediately. That _was it._ The moment he was going to lose Liam forever.

“Your heart?” Liam whispered back, sensing there was something so much more to this whole situation than just losing control. It wasn’t really about hurting Gabe, or Gabe hurting him, like Liam had thought, or even _leaving_ him. It was more, it ran deeper.

“It’s not mine” Theo said, almost a whisper, but it was enough for Liam’s eyebrows to arch in surprise “It’s my sister’s, it’s what makes me a Chimera”

Theo’s sister was _not_ something _anyone_ talked about. Liam didn’t know a lot about her, only that, back when Theo first showed up in Beacon Hills, Stiles had been certain Theo had killed her. But it didn’t matter to Liam, hadn’t then and it didn’t now. But it certainly mattered to Theo what Liam knew or didn’t know about him, about the things he had done.

“What…?”

“I had a heart condition, before the Doctors, called Hypoplastic Left Heart Syndrome” Theo whispered, both hands holding Liam’s on top of his chest “But Tara didn’t. Her heart was strong like a stallion's, she loved to run and wanted to be a gymnast someday” Theo closed his eyes, as if talking about her caused him actual pain “But the Doctors wanted me, despite my heart. So, since we were both compatible, they… they made me… they made me kill her and now her heart beats inside my chest”

It explained everything, it explained Theo leaving. It was the guilt of what he had done to his own sister, the fear that knowing about it, on top of everything he had already done, might be too much for Liam to be able to forgive.

“Hey, hey, Theo, look at me” Liam’s hands climbed to Theo’s hair, taking a step closer, looking the Chimera deep in the eyes. Theo looked lost, like he had been drowning in the middle of a storm and Liam had finally found him, though there was still way too much water inside his lungs for him to scream “I’m so sorry, Theo, for your sister, for everything, it’s all I can say. But none of it matters to me, _none_ of it, alright? All that matters is who you are now, all that matters to me is the man you are today, nothing you did will ever change the fact that I _want to be with you_ , forever, because I love you”

Liam held Theo’s face, watching as the Chimera closed his eyes and just let the words sink in. Liam smiled softly, letting his thumb caress the skin, desperate to kiss the man.

“But you can’t leave me like that. Because I opened my eyes and you were _gone_. And I don’t have the words to express how much that _hurt._ I understand that you were afraid of hurting me, but _please,_  Theo, if you ever feel like losing control again, because of Gabe or anything else, just find me, hold my hand. Just like you do for me, let me bring you back” Liam whispered against Theo’s mouth, standing so close to the man they kept each other warm _“Find me”_

Theo nodded, body slouching against Liam’s, bringing the Beta in for a hug so tight it could’ve crushed all of his bones, but instead it made him feel whole again, glueing all the pieces back together. Theo would never be able to explain what it felt like to hold Liam, to have the wolf in his arms, _his Liam._

“I’m sorry, Liam, I’m never leaving you” Theo didn’t pull away, hands fisting the Beta’s clothes “I’ll try, I promise, but I just… I can’t _hurt_ you”

“Look, there is a lot we never told each other, okay?” Liam whispered, hands in Theo’s hair “And it’s okay if you’re not ready, I’m not ready for a lot either. Fuck, I don’t think I could ever get through you telling me about the Doctors, but I would if you wanted to tell me, I’d find a way to sit and listen to you talk, no matter the anger I’d feel, I’d let you open up to me. I know that trust doesn’t come easy for you and I’m willing to work for it, but you have to _talk to me”_

Liam let his fingers brush through Theo’s hair, their bodies close, foreheads rested against each other.

“And I promise to do the same. My parents was the first step and we didn’t even know. We can’t keep shit like this from each other, Theo, it’ll eat us alive. Because I love you and I _know_ you love me. And if this is going to work, then we have to open up, Theo” Liam chuckled, a hint of disgust behind his words “Theo, we fell in love in the middle of a war, with supernatural creatures, hunter and even humans and I realized, I don’t even know what your _favorite color_ is. There’s a lot we don’t know about each other still, but every time it gets too much, how about we just take a deep breath and talk? How about we reach out for each other? We can talk, text, FaceTime, leave voicemails, send smoke signals, let’s just find each other”

Theo let himself laugh, his eyes still closed as time passed by them. It took a long moment before Theo answered. But then he just pulled Liam even closer, if that was even possible and nodded, at first slowly, then vigorously, taking a deep breath.

“We can try that” Theo pulled away from the hug, his hands holding Liam’s face gently, the Beta smiling up at him “I love you, Liam”

“I know” Theo huffed, rolling his eyes, hands dropping Liam’s face, passing an arm over the Beta’s shoulders, making their way back to the truck. Liam tossed Theo the keys, not wanting to drive, at all.

“Don’t you fucking dare Han Solo me” Theo smirked, slapping Liam’s ass playfully, a surprised look on the wolf’s face.

“You actually know what Star Wars is?” Liam asked, hand on his chest in pure disbelief as a smile showed on his face, all of the pain forgotten when Theo smiled at him.

“Of course I know what Star Wars is, Liam, I’m not some caveman” Theo laughed at Liam’s exaggerated eye roll “I just prefer Star Trek, that's all” And if Liam hadn’t been surprised enough, he watched as Theo opened the door for him, free hand up as his fingers separated in the Vulcan sign, a smirk on his face.

And, with that, Theo drove them home, talking about why Star Trek was _‘God, so much better, both the original and remake were fantastic movies. Disney fucked Star Wars up beyond repair, Liam, I can’t even begin to describe how disappointed I was. I can’t even hear the opening score anymore’_ than Star Wars and all Liam could do was smile.

If that smile on his face wasn’t sign of him falling in love with Theo all over again, then Liam had no fucking clue what it looked like to others. But at three a.m., Liam couldn’t care less, just happy to see Theo smiling and looking so relaxed. There was a different kind of sexiness to Theo whenever he was like this, the righteousness of the situation so overwhelming Liam could only hope he’d get to hold on to this man for all eternity.

_1- Hates Star Wars._

_2- Loves Star Trek._

Those were the first two additions to the list of things Liam was finally getting to learn about Theo. This was the kind of thing Liam had been itching to know about him and it made his wolf happy to know Theo was comfortable with sharing. Small steps forward were better than standing still.

“And to answer your question, the one from before” Theo spoke once he parked, following Liam into the house and watching the Beta turn to him, putting his phone down after sending a text “Whatever shade of blue your eyes are, that’s my favorite color"

And that was addition number three.

_Two years later…_

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Okay, guys, so like I said before THE PAIN ENDS HERE! There will be no more pain, no more tears, no more angst. There wll be mentions of insicurities and all, but that's it. Only happiness for my babies! 
> 
> Can't promise there'll be more of the pack. Corey and Mason will be back, that's for sure, maybe some more Derek and Stiles, but I'm guessing that's it. I don't know for sure yet. 
> 
> To the reader who asked for Golan, I'm sorry I couldn't give you more. I wanted to, but I couldn't fit them, at least not for now.
> 
> Let me know what you think, alright? :)


	7. Never Truly Letting It Sink In

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Beginning of the end...

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Rough sex ahead!

_'Fall in love with someone_

_with an air of mystery_

_and wildness in their bones,_

_but with the kindest eyes_

_and a thousand beautiful stories_

_woven into their soul'_

_-Nikita Gill, For The Wildest Mystery I Know_

_Two years later…_

Ah, Friday nights. Beautiful and warm Friday nights. Theo was just closing up for Deaton, heading to the back of the shop to change out of his uniform when he heard the unmistakable hum of his truck. He rolled his eyes, a wide smile spreading across his lips as he pulled his shirt over his head, grabbing his bag and making his way back to the door, flipping the sign over to ‘We’re Closed’. He let his eyes scan the place one last time to make sure he hadn't forgotten anything, the werewolf in him letting out a howl to help a puppy calm down, so he wouldn't bother the others. It had been too stressful a day for that.

Theo locked everything quickly, his hands finding the right keys on instinct by now. Theo stuffed the keys into his pocket, leaving the keychain out, testing the locks one last time before turning to look at Liam, who had rolled down the windows of the truck and was smiling at him. The radio was on, playing some rap in the background. Liam loved seeing Theo like this, with his hands busy. There was something very calming about it, for some reason. Maybe it was because of the way Theo concentrated completely or how dedicated he had been, from day one.

It was almost 7:30 p.m. and Liam wasn’t supposed to be there, Theo knew for a fact, checking his watch again. He should be at school, enjoying his last few days as team co-captain. Or even at his study group for Chemistry with Mason and Corey, who always met on Wednesdays and Fridays, since Finals were coming up. But today was Liam’s busiest day of the week. He had school, work, study group _and_ Lacrosse practice that ended roughly around 11. Theo always waited up, ordering food, welcoming him home after really long days and trying to create a nice mood for a good weekend. And on Tuesdays, Theo's worst day, Liam did the same. There was always food ready by the time his shift was over and Liam always gave him a massage, something Theo just couldn't seem to live without these days.

“What are you doing here?” Theo asked, throwing his bag on the backseat, before reaching for Liam’s neck and kissing the wolf, greeting him, watching as he smiled, pulling away.

“Taking you to dinner” Theo smirked, buckling his seatbelt. Theo immediately knew there was more to it than Liam was telling him, not because of how his heart remained steady, somehow, but because of the simple fact that Liam was there in the first place. But Theo decided it just wasn’t the right moment to bring it up. Liam would do it, Theo simply knew him enough to tell.

Liam drove them to the outskirts of town, miles past the Hale preserve, parking the truck when the woods got too dense. Liam propped himself on a tire, reaching in and grabbing a large blanket and a brown _Whole Foods_ paper bag. Theo smiled, grabbing their things and gladly letting Liam take his hand. Liam threw the blanket over his shoulder, bag in one hand as he locked the truck, stuffing the keys into his pocket before taking the hand Theo had reached out for him. It hadn't hit Liam, how aware of each other they had become, until almost a year of living together in their new apartment, how they knew where the other was without even having to look, based on scent and sound, how Theo handed him the sugar even before Liam's tongue was done tasting the coffee he had just made or even how he could  _feel,_ perhaps inside himself first _,_ whenever Theo was having a nightmare, never truly letting it sink in and do any damage.

Theo followed Liam, who seemed to know his way around the area very well, not once stopping to check a GPS or anything like that. Theo's Chimera was confused with all the new scents and colors, but Liam seemed focused and perfectly ready to guide him. Theo struggled a bit more with finding where to step, walking in the woods just had never really been his thing, but it certainly was Liam’s, the wolf having a grace unlike anything Theo had ever seen, something he got from playing so many sports, probably.

“How was your day after we left school today?” Liam asked, turning to look at Theo briefly, before keeping his eyes on the uneven ground once more, guiding them further into the woods.

The last class they had had together had been English Lit, then Theo had moved on to American History II with Corey, which the Chimera thought was ridiculous, since all they had to do was listen to 'Hamilton' these days and Liam had gone to Advanced Biology. They kissed by the door of the Ad. Bio. room, Corey’s foot thumping impatiently on the floor, which didn't work,  _at all,_ because all Theo did was pass his arm around Liam's waist, pulling him in.

“You know, it’s cute that you walk Liam to his classes and all, Mason does for me too, but for _fuck’s sakes_ , can we go now? We’re six days away from finals and History is gonna bite me in the ass…”

“You’re a fucking Chimera” Theo snarled, angrily pulling away from Liam’s mouth, the wolf snorting out a laugh, forehead against Theo’s chest with one of the Chimera’s hands still on the back of his neck “Fucking bite _back”_

Liam laughed, hand on the back of Theo’s neck when the Chimera brought him in for another kiss, Corey whining, ridiculously annoyed now. Liam moaned softly, just to rub the salt on the wound, causing Theo to smile against his mouth, playful.

“Talk to you later?” Theo whispered, fingers on Liam’s chin, lips hovering wet and warm over the wolf’s, watching as Liam nodded, his eyes still closed, lingering.

“Laters, baby” Theo rolled his eyes, smiling when Corey reached for his arm and started to pull him down the hall, towards the other end of the school. Liam fucking  _winked_ at him as he held the door to the room open, Lacrosse stick poking out of his backpack, cheeks flushed as he smiled at Theo, the Chimera holding back a growl of pure want, right there, in the middle of the hallway. It had been part of the agreement that such behaviour wouldn't be displayed at school, so he bit it back, not that Liam ever did anything to help his case.

“I knew I should have never let you read that book”

Liam simply smiled, getting into his room after blowing him a kiss. Corey made a sound like he was gagging, hand gripping his throat, making it look like he was going to pass out and Theo passed an arm over his shoulders, hand messing up his hair completely, the two laughing as they walked to their class.

“You and Mason are disgusting too, alright?” Theo had said to his fellow Chimera, the boy smiling up at him “It was good, actually, pretty uneventful, up until now” Liam smiled when Theo squeezed his hand “Helped Corey study History and then he passed me his Physics notes, because I was lost today in class, I swear, that woman is crazy. We lost a baby cat today, so… that wasn’t nice” Liam squeezed his hand back, but Theo brushed it off “How was yours?”

“It was horrible” Theo arched his brows when Liam growled, seeming like he had been wanting to do that all day, sighing right after, shoulders slouching “Coach asked me and Nolan to make a list of potential team captain replacements, right? And we just couldn’t find a single one we both agreed _should_ be captain. And work sucked ass too”

Theo let go of Liam’s hand to pass his arm around the wolf’s waist, the touch almost immediately working to get him to calm down. Theo nuzzled Liam’s hairline sofly, the wolf leaning into him, arm around his shoulder, gripping his shirt and nuzzling back. Then Theo found himself in a clearing. Liam turned around when Theo stopped walking, smiling as if he understood why Theo just _had_ to stand there for a second,  or twenty, moving on to setting the blanket and food down.

The clearing itself wasn’t very wide, but it opened for almost a square mile, the grass that was probably of a very dark green during the day looked pale, glistening in the moonlight. Theo looked up and found they were perfectly under the moon, the sphere shining bright enough to light up everything around them. There were flowers that changed colors like this, reflecting the moon and Theo found himself staring, probably for a little longer than he should have. Theo, as a Chimera, didn't answer to the moon, not like Liam did, and he just couldn't imagine a life where something so omnipresent had that kind of power over him.

“Scott and Stiles used to bring me here on every full moon, tie me up to that very tree right there” Liam spoke, smiling at the memory "At first it was something I hated, because I had no idea how much my anger would be affected by the wolf" Liam sighed. He knew he had come a long way “I haven’t been here in a while and, cheesy as it may sound, you've kept me sane through a lot so I thought it’d be nice to show it to you”

They had dinner, quite literally, under the stars, the food somewhat warm, but  Liam pulled out two _freezing_ cold cans of Coke, to which they toasted to themselves, thank you very much, and it made not having proper plates, napkins or even cutlery, for that matter, manageable. Liam was lying down on his stomach when he pulled out a chocolate bar from the paper bag, not even bothering to hide it from the Chimera, making Theo smile. _Gotta balance the Whole Foods, huh?_

Theo just gave himself a few moments to really take all of Liam in, all of his beauty, how much he had changed. The Anuk-Ite hadn’t been the last time they had fought together. Derek and Stiles had tracked down Monroe almost up to the Canadian border and, even though Scott never asked anyone to join him, they all took part in taking her down for good. It wasn’t even up for debate, really. They were introduced to two other packs and had a nice time celebrating. Everyone expected something to happen in the months that followed the fight, it was Beacon Hills after all, but everything remained as calm as could be expected.

And Theo found himself smiling, with Liam almost shoving a piece of milk, Hershey's chocolate into his mouth, kissing him right after. Theo wasn't one for candy, but Liam was and his argument was that they were supernatural beings with incredibly fast metabolisms, they could have all the candy in the world. So, for their first Christmas together (Theo was still getting the hang of it, cut him some slack) he gave Liam a huge box full of candy. Just candy, of all kinds, from all over the world. And Liam had smiled so wide his face had hurt.

Liam laid on top of Theo after they were done eating, sighing when the Chimera passed an arm around his back, hugging him close to his body. Theo chewed and swallowed, leaving a kiss to the top of Liam’s head, tightening his grip on the wolf.

“What’s wrong, Liam?” Theo drew circles on Liam’s skin, hand reaching under his shirt, the Chimera looking up into the starry night, a warm breeze caressing them as it passed. It was a beautiful night, indeed.

“Nothing’s wrong” Liam whispered so low even Theo had trouble hearing him, the wolf’s fingers playing around with the fabric of the Chimera’s shirt. Liam's heart remained steady, somehow, but Theo knew, he knew there was something wrong, every nerve, every cell in his body told him so. And he had never been wrong before, not when it came to Liam. 

“Look, Liam, I’m all about you kidnapping me and having romantic dinners” Theo said softly, lifting Liam’s head so the Chimera could look at him “I’m all about it, baby” Theo smiled when Liam leaned in and kissed him, but didn’t let it go too far, pulling away calmly “But something’s bugging you, I can feel it, so we’re not moving from here, not until you tell me”

Liam watched as Theo passed his arms under his head, arching a brow and waiting for the wolf to talk to him. Liam sighed, knowing it was stupid to fight Theo on this. Liam took his eyes away from Theo’s, cheek back against the Chimera’s chest as he explained what had been going on in his mind. He didn't want Theo to know, didn't want him to see the truth of how he felt, but knew there was no other way now.

“I guess I just always thought I’d get here knowing where to go next” Liam shrugged, despite Theo’s arms being back around him, the Chimera not saying a word as he waited for him to continue “I have you, which is more than I ever thought I would have when it came to having a partner, especially not at this age,  but…” Liam spoke, hand softly finding Theo's cheek on instinct, thumb caressing his light stubble.

And just like that, in the way Liam’s voice died inside his throat, Theo knew exactly what Liam was talking about. Graduation was barely a month away. And all _everybody_ talked about was what college they were going to go to and, despite having talked about it, Liam still hadn’t come to a decision. Theo was trying to be as supportive as possible, but when _his_ acceptance letters started arriving, though Liam was happy for him, it was clear Liam was still unsure of what to do. 

“Liam, you’re _19_ years old, it’s okay not knowing what you want to do for the rest of your life” Theo hugged Liam tighter “The one thing I’m sure of in life is _you_ , that tomorrow I’m gonna wake up next to you, that’s _it._  And you can be sure of me, always. I haven’t decided where to go yet, don’t even know if I _want_ to go to college, we have time"

“I thought after the Anuk-Ite and... and Monroe and all that _shit_ we’d get to have a life, get to relax and just be normal for a change, but we only survived these past years. We made plans, we sat at home, night after night, thinking of all of these things we wanted to do, but we never got anywhere and I’m _sick_ of looking over my shoulder, Theo” Before Theo could say anything, his mouth already open to speak, Liam reached for his backpack, fumbling around with the things inside until he got from it four white envelopes, leaving them on Theo’s chest, straddling his boyfriend's waist “Go ahead, open them”

The envelopes were already open, so all Theo had to do was reach inside each one and read. With a suspicious look on his face, he let go of Liam’s waist and pulled out the first letter from one of the envelopes, his eyes immediately on the insignia at the top of the page.

_Dear Mr. Liam Dunbar, congratulations! We are very glad to welcome you to our University! You were selected for our Lacrosse Scholarship Program, chosen by Choach Harrison Williams, here at..._

Those were acceptance letters, all four of them. Theo looked at Liam with wide eyes,  hand fumbling, opening the other three and reading them as fast as he could, fingers slightly shaking with the paper as his eyes ate the information up, hungrily, the wolf merely chewing on his thumb, watching.

“Why didn’t you tell me you got into Harvard?” Theo’s voice sounded way too controlled for Liam’s liking, the anger and sadness coming off of the Chimera thickly. He knew there was a big chance Theo would feel hurt for Liam not telling him, but the wolf just couldn’t seem to find the right moment to “On a _full_ four year Lacrosse scholarship? Or Duke? Or Georgetown? Or fucking Columbia? Why didn’t you tell me you were _considering_ these schools? When did you even apply? Fuck, when did they _reply?_ ”

“At first, I didn’t want to have to think about it, I was having trouble figuring out what I wanted to apply for in the first place and, by the time I did, I was almost out of time and _you_ were already getting _your_ letters” Liam spoke, closing his eyes for a second, hand pinching the bridge of his nose “Remember all those people I told you would come from colleges and watch us play?” Theo nodded, brows still low in a frown. The Chimera didn’t like how talking about this made Liam feel so desperate “Well, they liked me” Liam pointed to the letters “And liked me even more when they found out I’m actually a pretty good student”

“Still hurts that you didn’t tell me, Liam, I’m your _boyfriend”_ Theo spoke, hand reaching for the letters, and setting them aside “This isn’t something you can just _not_ tell me, not when we’re gonna sell our apartment soon and certainly not after  _everything_ we've been through together"

“I know, fuck, I'm sorry, don't be angry at me, please” Liam pleaded, fingers pulling at his hair, his eyes squeezed tight. Theo reached for his hands immediately, getting them out of there. Liam opened his blue eyes to look at Theo, the Chimera still under him on the blanket “I just didn’t want to ask you to sit down and talk about what attending these colleges will do to us”

Theo then sat on the blanket, arms around Liam’s back as he pulled the wolf closer. Liam closed his eyes, sighing happily at how warm the Chimera felt against his body. Theo immediately went in to kiss his neck, doing anything to get Liam to stop smelling so sad. The wolf whimpered, hand in Theo's hair, pulling at it softly.

“Liam, I could never be angry at you, I just wish you had told me, because the only reason I was even accepted into a couple of colleges, two which thank God are in the same states as yours, is because you pushed me through my first year back in school, you helped me, stayed up during all hours of the morning with me, studying” Theo smiled, fingers in Liam’s hair, their foreheads rested against each other “And going to college won’t change anything between us because we’re going together, we’ve talked about this. But this is huge, Liam. These are big cities, ten, twelve times the size of Beacon Hills, new schedule, new job, we _have_ to talk this through”

“I know” Liam sighed, arm around Theo’s shoulders and holding onto his shirt tightly “Last time I moved, I got bitten by a werewolf, who knows what’ll happen this time”

“Okay, I get it, you’re scared of change” Theo squeezed Liam’s back, all the way down to his legs “But nothing’s going to happen. You’re not the same, you have control now, over yourself, over the wolf, over your future. For once in your life, Liam, do this for you, choose for yourself. Don’t think of me, don’t think of logistics” Theo whispered, nuzzling Liam softly “Think of you and your future, that’s it. Wherever you decide to go, I’m right behind, okay?” Liam smiled, pulling Theo in for a kiss, the Chimera meeting him halfway.

Liam moaned when Theo’s hands started exploring his skin, beneath his shirt, the Chimera changing the angle of their kiss and taking control, pushing his clothes out of the way. Theo smirked into the kiss, pulling away to admire Liam’s flushed cheeks. It was so easy to get Liam all hot and bothered, his hands reaching for whatever part of Theo they could find, the wolf whimpering softly against his mouth.

“Theo…”

“What do you want, Liam?” Theo whispered, his hips pushing up, slowly rolling against Liam’s, his hands going up and down his back, nails soft on his skin. Liam let his eyes flutter shut, biting down on his lip.

“I can’t think when you’re touching me like this…” Liam spoke through gritted teeth, though his hips started grinding against Theo’s, deliciously slow, in a torture they couldn’t get enough of. Theo smiled wide, hands gripping Liam tight as he let Liam have his way with him, pulling him in for another kiss.

“What do you want, Liam?” Theo asked again, teasing, voice low and rough from barely contained desire when they pulled away, whispering against Liam’s warm, wet lips.

“I want you to take me home and fuck me” Theo laughed, his Chimera growling as he passed an arm over Liam’s shoulders, pulling him closer, flipping them until Liam was lying on his back, hugging Theo tightly in surprise.

“Why such a hurry to go home, baby?” Theo smirked, a hand on the blanket next to Liam’s head, the other aiming for his jeans, the Chimera’s hips still pressed tight against the wolf’s “When I can just fuck you right here?” Theo whispered against the corner of his mouth, kissing it right after, resting his forehead against his cheek for a second before moving on to kissing Liam’s neck.

“Here?” Liam’s voice came out an entire octave too high, his arms around the Chimera’s shoulders. Theo kissed down his neck, moving on to lifting his shirt as much as he could, smiling when all Liam did was look around, eyes searching the area around them. Oh, Theo wasn’t going to allow that. No, he wanted _all_ of Liam’s attention. And he got it, the wolf’s eyes back on him in a second “Fuck, you’re opening my pants…”

“Why? Afraid someone’s gonna see us? Out here, in the middle of nowhere?” Theo teased, working Liam’s belt and zipper, growling annoyed at the wolf as soon as he pulled his jeans a bit down “Why the _fuck_ do you even insist on wearing underwear? I swear, Liam..”

Liam heard his own breathing hitching when Theo’s claws ripped his underwear to shreds, the Chimera humming his approval, smiling at his job. Theo was on top of him in no time, kissing him, making him feel light headed all over again. It was a thing Theo did to him, Liam had found, whenever they were like this, getting busy. Once they got more comfortable with just letting each other  know whenever they wanted sex ( _they_ meaning Liam), their sex life changed completely, being not only more active, but healthier in many ways.

“Fuck yeah, so much better” Theo whispered, smiling, mouth on Liam’s as he opened his own jeans, barely getting his dick out before starting to stroke himself. Theo moaned against Liam’s lips, pulling back from the kiss, eyes closed, head thrown back as he brought himself to full hardness with a long, slow combination of movements from his hand and wrist.

There was something really, _really_ hot about Theo jerking himself off. It just _did it_ for Liam. He didn’t do it very often, but it was something the Chimera liked to do just to get to see the things it did to Liam, his boyfriend biting his lips, pupils blows ridiculously wide. Theo smiled at seeing Liam watching him, knowing it had never and probably would never cross Liam’s mind that it did it for Theo when Liam was naughty for him, just like this.

“Wanna give me a hand?” Theo smirked, fisting his cock and tugging himself softly, loosely, not wanting to get too much action going. Liam smiled, bringing Theo in for a kiss as he reached to replace Theo’s hand, starting to jerk the Chimera off. Theo moaned, Liam’s cold fingers making his abs flex.

Theo pulled away from the kiss, wanting to hold on longer, but not being able to. It was clear then this wasn’t going to last very long, at all. Theo grabbed Liam, pushing him back on the blanket, the wolf pulling him into a tight hug, legs spread wide for the Chimera. Theo rested his forehead against Liam’s chest as he pushed in, hearing the wolf snarl under him.

Liam had his eyes closed, letting his body open up for Theo, just like it had a million times before. Theo took a deep breath, arm passing under Liam’s head, hugging the wolf tight, a hand guiding Liam’s legs around his waist. When Liam pulled him in just as much as Theo did, that’s when Theo started moving.

“Hold on to me, baby” Liam nodded, leaving a kiss to Theo’s collar bone, arms hugging him tight. Theo let his jeans pool around one ankle, one of his legs free as he pulled Liam closer to his body, lower onto the blanket, spearing the wolf on his dick. Liam moaned, groaning from deep within his chest “I got you…”

Theo pulled away, fucking back inside exactly how he knew Liam liked it. Having sex for them was easy, at this point, knowing each other the way they did. Theo had never started rough on Liam, never wanting to hurt the wolf, no matter his healing abilities. It just wasn’t something Theo could deal with. It was off limits in their relationship, no need for words or an explanation.

But tonight starting slow just wasn’t enough for Liam, who whimpered louder with every thrust, buried under two hundred pounds of muscle, begging for more, hands lifting Theo’s shirt and letting his nails drag across his skin. Theo bit his neck in return, snarling when it only worked to get Liam to beg him for more.

Theo would _never_ want Liam to submit to him, he loved it when Liam was naughty and completely and utterly himself, demanding something during sex from him one moment or giving Theo pleasure like he had never imagined the next. But submission went directly to his wolf and it made the animal part of Liam go crazy. It just wasn't in his nature to submit. Female wolves tended to bite to their cubs to calm them down, hence the association, and the connection they had blurred the lines between devotion, love, passion and submition. Liam’s hips pushed back into Theo’s thrusts, in a clear sign of protest, both of them groaning as they chased the feeling again.

“Fuck, you feel so fucking good, baby…” Theo moaned, hands clasping Liam’s shoulders and squeezing, not letting go. Liam’s hips rolled at the praise, Theo’s dick rough against his prostate. Theo smirked, sucking on Liam’s earlobe as the wolf’s hands found their way to his ass, urging him on.

“Fuck me harder, Theo…  _harder”_ Liam moaned under him, legs opening, letting go of Theo's waist so the Chimera could have his way with him. Theo growled, hands reaching for the wolf's thighs as he fucked deeper, giving Liam everything he wanted. Liam didn’t let him move away, Theo fisting his hands in the fabric of the blanket, pulling and tugging at it as he fucked Liam “Fuck, like that… keep going, Theo, just like that…”

Theo groaned, his orgasm building, sweat dripping from his hair onto Liam. The werewolf wasn’t far behind, his skin covered in goosebumps, nipples hard and pink. Theo let go of the blanket, hands reaching for Liam’s as he pulled himself away from the wolf completely, dick sliding out smoothly. Still kneeling on the blanket, Theo watched as Liam opened his eyes, panting, two fat tears rolling into his hairline, both of them panting. Theo smiled, hands reaching for Liam’s.

“I hate it when you do that…” Liam growled, letting the Chimera pull him closer.

“Trust me, my dick does do” Liam rolled his eyes, moaning when Theo turned him around, the two of them kneeling on the blanket as Theo got Liam to rest his back against his chest. Liam moaned, biting his lips when Theo pushed in, wanting to go on his hands and knees for the Chimera, but Theo didn’t let him “No, baby, stay like this, you feel so fucking incredible like this” Theo whispered, forehead against Liam’s shoulder. Liam smiled, hands caressing Theo’s thighs and ass, feeling the round muscles clenched tight.

“This is how you’re gonna finish me off?” Liam asked, voice low as Theo smirked, eyes still closed. Theo’s hands touched him everywhere, teasing his nipples and tracing his abs, but never getting closer to the part of his body that desperately needed some relief “Fuck, Theo…”

“You’re not going to touch yourself, okay? I got you” Liam nodded, feeling Theo’s hands on hips. Liam rested himself back against Theo completely, hands coming up to hold onto the Chimera’s shoulders and hair “No more crying, okay? Breaks my heart”

“Then you better start fucking me or I swear to God, Theo…Fuck!”

Theo didn’t let him finish, pulling back and fucking back in, resuming his relentless pace from mere moments before. Theo smiled, loving the sound of their hips slapping together echoing all around the clearing. Liam could only moan, holding on to Theo for dear life, the Chimera pounding him so hard Liam’s vision went blurred, but not from tears.

It was just as hard and rough, Theo biting onto Liam’s shoulder for real this time, deep and forceful. Liam’s hips bucked, messing up with Theo’s rhythm, the Chimera growling. Liam moaned when Theo’s fingers dug into his hips even more, taking control again. Liam could feel Theo’s muscles spasming, knowing his boyfriend was close only making him want to touch himself even more.

“Please, Theo, I _need_ to cum, now…” Liam panted, hand already reaching for his dick, but Theo put it back where it was, on his own shoulder, squeezing the wolf, fucking him harder.

“Hold on, baby” Theo panted, hands back on Liam’s waist “I’m so close, just a little longer, Liam”

Liam growled, nails digging into Theo’s shoulders to keep himself from jerking off. Theo fucked him for another few seconds, his body weighting Liam down onto the blanket, suddenly, as the first waves of his pleasure started to hit.

“Fuck, baby, I’m gonna cum” Theo growled, Liam smiling as he rested on his hands and knees for the Chimera. Liam pushed his ass up high, completely at Theo’s mercy. His dick was painfully hard by now and Theo was hitting his prostate over and over, making him see stars “Fuck, Liam, I’m gonna cum in this delicious ass of yours, baby”

“Theo, fuck…” Liam reached for his own dick and, for a whole three seconds, it felt like he was going to cum, but then Theo was holding both of his hands up above his head, dick still in him, fucking him hard and rough and amazing “Theo, I can’t…”

“Just a few more seconds, baby, I got you” Then Theo was screaming on top of him, his thrusts erratic as he fucked Liam, the Chimera inside him clawing at his control, desperate to crawl out from the shadows “You’re so good, Liam, fuck…”

“Cum inside me, Theo, please, make me cum, I need it” Liam begged, past the point of reasoning, his voice pained as Theo roared, Liam’s scream getting lost when the Chimera finally gave him what he wanted. Theo nailed his prostate one final time, shooting load after load of hot, sticky, delicious cum inside his ass, hand rough and warm on his dick as he jerked Liam off, through his orgasm.

It took Theo a whole minute to even stop cumming, let alone all the several other minutes it took for him to remember he had to let go of Liam at some point, the wolf falling on the blanket, exhausted, whimpering. All Theo did was pull him closer, arm around his waist as he brought Liam closer to his chest, the wolf sighing happily.

They weren’t going to sleep there, they had school the next day, but for now, they couldn’t even dream of walking.

“Are you okay, baby?” Theo asked, urging Liam to lay on his back to look at the Chimera, hand on his cheek, eyes worried on his blue ones “I have no idea what came over me to go that rough on you, ‘m sorry”

“Don’t apologize for the best fuck of our lives, you’re ruining it” Liam whispered, eyes closed as he leaned into Theo. Theo couldn’t hold back the snort of laughter that escaped his chest, his face hiding against Liam’s neck, kissing him there.

“True fact, I’ve never cum that hard in my entire life” Liam smiled, biting his lips as he opened his eyes to look at Theo, hand on the back of the Chimera’s neck to pull him in for a kiss, the gentleness of the contact a much appreciated change “You didn’t answer my question, though” Theo whispered, nuzzling Liam’s nose with his “What do you want, baby? When do you have to reply to those letters?”

“You just fucked my brains out, Theo, the fuck should I know?” Theo rolled onto his back on the blanket next to Liam, hands on his belly as he laughed, the sound making his shoulders shake and dimples show on his cheeks “By Thursday, I think” Liam whispered when Theo calmed down, the Chimera’s cheeks flushed as he rested on one elbow to look at Liam.

“Okay, good. Now, for real, if you had to choose, no questions asked, where would you like to go?” Theo whispered, Liam watching the sky, relaxed “You got four schools offering you Lacrosse scholarships, we can go _anywhere_ you want, just choose one, baby”

Liam turned to look at Theo, the Chimera’s hand coming up to hold his cheek. There it was again, the support that had been Liam’s rock, Liam’s _anchor_ for the past years. Theo was willing to let him choose where they would go from there and it terrified Liam, no matter how calm Theo was about it all. Liam knew what he wanted, had almost cried when he opened letter number two, but was afraid to say it, afraid that it would change them somehow. He'd never go to college if it meant losing Theo, in any meaning of the word.

“Harvard” Liam whispered, eyes closing for a few seconds, not wanting to see Theo’s reaction, though he sensed nothing different coming from the Chimera “It’s got the best History program in the world and we can save a lot of money with the scholarship and….”

“Liam…” Theo smiled, snuggling closer to the wolf “You don’t have to explain yourself to me, remember? I’m with you” Theo smirked, groaning when he moved to get to his feet, standing over Liam as he pulled his pants back up, a hand going through his hair to brush it out of his face. Theo smiled, leaving his hands out to pull Liam to his feet “You’re going to Harvard, baby”

 

* * *

 

“I’m not going to Harvard” Liam spoke, dropping the bomb as soon as he reached Theo’s locker, which was just down the hall from his own. The Chimera looked at him with arched brows, letting go of his backpack to hold his face. Nothing else mattered but Liam in those seconds, the wolf looking paler than usual, which was worrying without Liam saying those words.

“Liam, hey, what’s going on? Your heart’s going nuts” Theo spoke quietly, Liam closing his eyes as he took deep breaths, glad to just let Theo hold him close.

“I can’t go to Harvard, I can’t” Liam hissed under his breath “I love things just the way they are between us, I don’t ever want them to change. I know I said we didn't get anywhere, but you and I have something unique that I can't live without and..."

“Wait, is this because of something I did? Because you...”

“Yes and no” Liam groaned, forehead against Theo’s chest “Yes, because we have our life here and it's your fault I love it so much, but no, this is something that came to me, just watching us the other day”

“Liam, we can’t stand still forever, Beacon Hills doesn't define our relationship" Theo spoke softly against Liam’s ear, arms hugging the wolf close to his body, keeping him warm. Theo was somewhat aware of the other students, but still not enough to bother doing anything about it “There is more to our life than staying here, Harvard or not”

“I can’t lose you, Theo, not to something as mundane as college, not after fighting Ghost Riders and fucking hunters” Theo shushed him, cursing whoever it was that decided that was a good time to call everyone to class, noise flooding the hallway around them.

“Liam, you are never going to lose me, baby, no matter where we go from here, okay? I’m way too selfish to ever live in a world where you don’t belong to me, can you even wrap your head around that? That’s how much I love you. It goes beyond words, beyond the borders of this universe"

Liam smiled, nodding. He could, of course he could. Theo was the very cornerstone of his empire, everything that he was would come crumbling down without the Chimera. 

"You and I are past so much of the normal relationship drama we might as well be already married, baby. Yeah, we have our issues, but I love you far too much to ever see you with someone else. I'd rather poke my own eyes out with a fork, heal, then do it again, for all eternity. I’ve been to _hell,_ Liam, and I know that losing you would be a hundred times worse than anything I could ever go through down there”

“Fuck, I love you so much, Theo” Liam chuckled, the salty smell of tears mixing with Liam’s hazelnut chocolate-y scent of happiness “I’m sorry, I  just…”

“Don’t, it’s okay” Theo smiled, grabbing his backpack and shutting his locker, hand grabbing Liam's and not letting go “Don’t ever doubt us, okay? We survived the fucking apocalypse in this motherfucking town, we can survive anything”

And that night, they went home, had dinner and studied. Maybe it wasn't the healthiest thing to do, study so much on the night before their exams, but they did it anyway. And Liam woke up nervous, but with a smile on his face, blushing as Theo went down on him.

 

* * *

 

“Where the fuck is he?” Mason cursed, Corey rolling his eyes at him, Theo rested against one of the many school benches, checking his watch. Liam had seven more minutes before his last test of the day ended and he was nowhere to be found. They were just outside, waiting for him. Nolan had his phone in hand, texting Gabe, who had gone to get his locker cleaned up.

“Fucking Cunningham and his stupid tests, dude” Nolan spoke, falling into a deep conversation with Mason about their Chemistry test and how hard it had been. Chemistry was Liam’s least favorite subject in school, therefore the one he normally sucked at. They all had helped him study, but, at the end of the day, it was all up to him.

“He’s got this, he knows the answers” Corey spoke, opening his mouth to say something else, but stopping when he looked at Theo, the Chimera's concentrated look seemed important.

“He’s on the last question” Theo spoke after a moment of silence, the Chimera’s eyes closed as he paid attention to what was happening in the room. There was only the teacher, Liam and other three students.

“How do you even _do_ that? He’s on the fourth floor on the opposite side of the building” Theo smirked, hearing Liam stand up from his chair, picturing the wolf brushing his hair back as he handed the teacher the test and waited for the results "How can you smell him from this far?"

“Out of every sound, every smell in the world…” Theo turned to Corey for a brief moment “... wouldn’t you say Mason sounds and smells most familiar to you?” Corey nodded, smiling when Mason reached for his hand, squeezing it “It’s the same for Liam and me, only amplified by my Chimera being three parted and Liam being a werewolf”

Then Theo’s head turned to the door, the Chimera standing on his feet as he heard Liam’s heart beating like crazy. No one had to say a thing for them to understand what was going on. Liam exited the school, test and backpack in hand as he ran to Theo and his friends, a large smile on his face.

“Harvard, here I come!” Theo was ready for him when Liam jumped, the wolf dropping his backpack on the floor. Theo laughed, the wolf hugging him so tight it would have made anyone pass right out. Liam was laughing, a sound so happy and relieved it made Theo want to just kiss him from head to toe, right there.

“You did it? You actually did it?!” Mason asked, almost in a shout as he reached for the test, Nolan and Corey joining him in checking his answers. Liam smiled down at Theo, the Chimera refusing to put him down. 

“I knew you could do it” Theo whispered, hand on the back of Liam’s neck as the wolf hugged his shoulders tighter, pulling him in for a kiss “I fucking knew it, baby”

“That makes one of us” Liam laughed, kissing Theo once more before just letting himself rest against the Chimera “I’m just happy it’s over, for now, at least”

Theo slowly put him down, not before giving Liam another kiss, letting the wolf talk for a bit with his friends. They all checked their results with the school, getting their papers ready for graduation. Theo stood back in the parking lot, holding back a smile as everyone ditched him and Liam with the lamest excuses they could think of, the wolf just staring as they passed on a celebratory dinner.

“You have something to do with that, don’t you?” Theo’s smile was answer enough and all Liam did was roll his eyes, hands on his hips “Theo…”

“It’s a surprise, Liam” Theo opened the door to the passenger side of the truck, Liam’s backpack in hand, demanding a kiss before letting the wolf inside “Your graduation present is waiting for you back at home”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Let me know what you think, alright? I hope you liked it. I probably have only two, maybe three chapters left for this story, so let me know if you have any suggestions. I wasn't sure where I was headed with this one, I had a plan, but I ended up changing a few things. 
> 
> I can't make promises, unless you guys ask me things, alright? 
> 
> Thanks again for all of your lovely words!


	8. Bit of a Cliché, huh?

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Triggers, I guess...

_ 'Your heart will fix itself. _

_ It's your mind you need to worry about. _

_ Your mind, where you locked the memories,  _

_ your mind, where you have kept pieces of the ones that hurt you, _

_ that still cut through you like shards of glass. _

 

_ Your mind will keep you up at night, make you cry,  _

_ destroy you over and over again. _

 

_ You need to convince your mind that it has to let go... _

_ Because your heart already knows how to heal' _

_ -Nikita Gill, The Truth About Your Heart _

 

All Liam could do was stand there and  _ stare. _ Their apartment was empty, completely empty, except for their dinner, which was served on a table Liam had never seen before, with chairs that didn’t go with it, at all. There were candles, tons of them, with some champagne by the small wooden table. And their bed, by the far corner, under the largest window of the apartment, with a large duffel bag on top.

“We still have power, but I thought this would be more romantic” Theo smirked, dropping their things and his jacket on the bed, turning to look at Liam, who still stood there, baffled.

“What exactly happened here?” Liam asked, stepping into their home, smelling roses and body wash, chicken with veggies, garlic bread and some tomato with homemade lasagna, all of it making his mouth water.

“All of our things are on their way to our new place, in Cambridge, Massachusetts” Theo spoke with a smirk, walking towards Liam, who looked at him with nothing but shock on his face “And it had to be done today, because this very apartment has already been sold and I promised the new owners we’d be out of here by 11 am tomorrow” 

“You sold our apartment?” Theo simply nodded, his chest puffed out, proud of himself "But how? We didn’t even have an offer this morning”

“Well, I  _ told  _ you we didn’t have any offers, but there’s this couple that was very interested and we closed the deal yesterday afternoon” Liam frowned, standing there as Theo approached him.

“You sold our apartment  _ and  _ bought a new one, in another state, without even knowing if we were going to get to go at all?” Liam asked, though he already knew the answer “What if I had failed the Chemistry test?”

“You weren’t going to fail, Liam” Theo spoke, hand sliding to hold Liam’s waist, voice raspy and low in a Goddamn sexy whisper that would've brought anyone to their knees “That’s how much faith I have in you”

Liam could only smile, unable to believe the man in front of him. Theo grabbed him by the back of the neck, pulling him in for a kiss. Liam sighed, hands coming to hug Theo’s back, fisting his shirt, fingers going up into his hair. The Chimera shivered, hugging Liam so tight their bodies fit together perfectly, warmth traveling between them.

Liam didn’t let Theo pull away, holding him in, making the Chimera smile against his lips. Theo sighed, slouching a bit to hug Liam better. Liam wasn’t shorter than Theo, but still the Chimera liked taking advantage of the inch he had on the wolf. 

“Dinner’s getting cold, baby…” Theo whispered once Liam finally let him go, his lips moving on to the wolf’s cheek, nuzzling Liam, breathing him in, pulling Liam closer still.

“Don’t care” Theo chuckled, pulling away, moving his hands to find Liam’s, breaking their hug. The wolf complained, a pained little howl escaping his mouth as he left one last kiss to Theo’s lips.

“We have plenty time for this later, baby, but our microwave already left for Harvard” Liam rolled his eyes, biting his lips as he let Theo guide him to the small table set for them. Liam had been right to assume he’d find homemade lasagna and champagne, along with the garlic bread. Liam hadn’t eaten all day, running up and down doing tests, not even having time to remember to have lunch.

Theo poured them the champagne, turning to look at the wolf as Liam looked at their empty apartment.

“Hey…” Theo whispered, passing Liam the glass “We just nailed  _ seventeen  _ tests, we’re leaving to start our new life tomorrow, I thought you’d be happier” Liam held the glass with one hand, reaching for Theo with the other, blue eyes on the Chimera instantly.

“I  _ am  _ happy, Theo, this is just a lot” Liam spoke, sighing, fingers intertwined with Theo’s “I love you so much for doing this for me, I had so much going on in my head and I know I said I wasn’t exactly happy with how these two years went, but you were the best fucking part of them”

Theo smiled, leaning over the table to pull Liam in. They toasted to themselves, to their lives finally ending in Beacon Hills. Liam and Theo hadn’t suffered nearly as much as most of the pack had in that town, but still they wanted out as much as them. Maybe it was the fact the Nemeton could attract some monster at any given second, maybe it was the town being so small. Who knew? They just didn't want to wait around for an answer.

Liam had been right when he said they hadn’t really gotten anywhere in those past two years. They had finished high school and all, but that was it. Theo had probably taken the largest steps, had worked to forgive himself, even to somewhat forgive Gabe and Nolan, who were now their close friends. There were hiccups and fallbacks for the Chimera along the way, his demons getting the worst of him on occasion. But Liam had always been there for him, at arm's reach.

And, when some kid walked right up to Liam during one game, Theo stood from the Beacon High side of the bleachers and made his way to the field. Theo punched the stupid kid right across the face, then hitting him in the stomach, a combination so powerful and fast the idiot couldn’t even stand on his feet, let alone fight back.

People around them roared when Theo moved back, the asshole on his ass on the floor, being dragged back to the visitor’s bench by his teammates. Liam rolled his eyes when he saw the blood on Theo’s knuckles, chuckling when people started chanting Theo’s name, his back still on the ground.

“Did you really have to defend my honor?” Liam spit blood on the floor, slowing down the healing process. Theo smirked down at him, crouched down as he placed a hand under Liam’s neck, pulling him slowly up to a sitting position, not letting him go.

“Do you even have to ask me that question?” Theo kissed the side of Liam’s head, holding onto the wolf tight to pull him to his feet next “You can handle yourself on the field, out here... let’s just say he should be happy he can still walk”

“He was _carried_ back to the bench, Theo…” Liam spoke, squeezing water into his mouth from a bottle someone had handed him, coach making his way to him. Theo rolled his eyes, brushing it off like it was the same difference.

“He’s breathing, isn’t he?” Liam smiled at the Chimera, handing Theo the bottle when their coach neared them, hands on his hips.

“Are you well enough to get back out there? We’ll be slaughtered without you” Coach spoke, whistle in between his teeth as he gave Theo a once over, turning to look at Liam, who nodded, Nolan handing him his helmet back.

“Yeah, I’m good” Liam smiled at Theo, kissing the Chimera’ lips before pulling the helmet back on and turning to go back into the game “Thank you”

Theo huffed, going back to sit next to Mason, who handed him a handful of napkins. Using Liam’s bottle of water, he poured some on his dirty hand and cleaned the blood with the napkins, eyes following as Liam ran. Theo didn’t know the rules to Lacrosse, but he knew that if the ball entered the goal, it meant something good. 

And Liam scored seven times that night alone, which literally brought the house down. There was a party to celebrate the big win and Liam wasn’t left alone all night. The poor wolf wasn’t used to being the center of attention, always reaching for Theo somehow, using the Chimera to keep himself grounded. Theo always smiled, because Liam never had to really look to know where the Chimera was, he just had to let his body find his. 

And that hyper awareness only grew between them, with time. And during dinner that night, Theo didn’t have to look to know Liam was telling the truth. He  _ was  _ happy, happy to leave, happy they were leaving together. It was a really big change, after all. Theo had found their new place online, their real estate agent traveling to Massachusetts to make sure the apartment was just like the pictures.

Theo signed the contract that same night, knowing everything would turn out okay. He believed in Liam blindly, but new sometimes Liam got the worst of Liam, if it even made sense. But now they were leaving, heading to a new city, a new routine. It was overwhelmingly thrilling, to say the least.

“We won’t be back for graduation, then” Liam spoke, not really a question tone to his words. He didn’t mind missing out on graduation, knowing their friends would understand.

“Don’t think we can make it back in time, with you attending all of those workshops you mentioned and with getting the apartment organized, but if you want…”

“Nope” Liam chuckled, swallowing his food, moaning at how good it tasted “I couldn’t care less about graduation, in all honestly, but I guess I’d miss getting to celebrate surviving, you know? Both as a normal kid and as a wolf”

“Well, Mason made me promise and I quote ‘not keep Liam to yourself, he was my friend before he was your boy’ and well, Nolan is Nolan, he’ll probably write us letters or something, since he still doesn't know technology is a thing” Liam smiled, happy to just nod and let them finish their food in a comfortable silence. Theo could only stare at the wolf, who seemed lost in his own head. 

Theo guided Liam towards the shower, grabbing the duffel bag on their way to the bathroom. It was a bit sad to know they wouldn’t have to go to work or to Lacrosse practice the next day, but it was exciting to think they were going to have new things to look forward to, new people to meet and a whole new routine to get used to. So, in those minutes while they waited for the water to start running hot, it was almost like saying goodbye to the place that had been their home those past few years. And it was sour.

“Hope our new shower doesn’t take half a century to warm up” Liam whispered, forehead resting against Theo’s shoulder as he hugged the Chimera from behind. Theo smirked, knowing it was probably driving Liam crazy not knowing anything about the apartment.

“I can’t say for sure, but I don’t think it will” Theo spoke, turning around in Liam’s embrace. Theo let his body take most of the water, pushing Liam’s hair out of his face so he could take all of his magnificence in “What do you say, baby, one last goodbye to our beloved shower?” 

 

* * *

 

Theo and Liam left in a hurry the next morning, not exactly late, but wanting to get going. They had overslept, waking up when Liam’s phone started ringing. Theo had already been picking up their clothes from the floor and used things from the bathroom by the time Liam hung up with Mason, the Chimera pulling the blanket away from his body, a snarl out of his chest.

“Gotta run, baby, we gotta get there before our things do” Theo spoke, folding the blanket and throwing it on the pile of things they had to take to the car, turning to look at Liam, smiling at the sleepy wolf curled on the bed “You can sleep some more after we stop for breakfast, alright? But we really have to get going”

Theo let Liam sit at the foot of the bed, pulling him down into a kiss. Theo smirked, grabbing them a fresh change of clothes from the overnight bag he had carefully thought through. They got dressed, making sure they had grabbed everything before Theo stood by the door, Liam standing by his side. 

“Ready?” Theo whispered, lips against Liam’s temple, arm around the wolf’s shoulders, his other hand holding their bag. Liam sighed, arm passing around Theo’s waist, under his jacket, nodding.

“Yeah... I’m ready” And his heart remained steady.

 

* * *

 

It took them two and a half days to get there, barely stopping for breakfast, to buy food or to sleep. Liam drove first, already feeling more awake and Theo drove through most of the nights, so they wouldn’t have to stop to sleep. They listened to music, took silly pictures and updated their pack. Scott had been worried about them moving to another state on their own, but had been supportive too, knowing this was something they could handle.

They were just a few hours away, coffees in hand and starting to feel that sugar high Starbucks bagels normally gave them. It didn’t last long due to their metabolism, but it was enough for them to wake up. Theo was driving, making sure the apartment keys were in his pocket. 

“So, get this, I can stop by the library everyday on my way home from school, make sure I have all of my books… or should I just go ahead and buy them? That would be too expensive, don’t you think?”

“Maybe download them online? I know you’re not big on online books, but you  _ are  _ going to be using your computer a lot…” Theo spoke, wishing he had gotten a larger coffee. Liam smiled, handing Theo his cup,  map of the Harvard campus open across his lap.

“Well, that is true” Liam spoke, hand on his chin as he stared back down into the school map, circling the important buildings and locations for his classes, library, Lacrosse practice, places he could get coffee and food “I’m very glad I won’t be living on campus, you know? Not having to put up with a roommate or with parties and stuff”

“Yeah, you already have to put up with me” Theo smirked, not taking his eyes from the road. Liam smiled, shoving his shoulder lightly “But I guess we’ll just have to make the moves up as we go, huh? Grab that stack of papers in the glove compartment for me, please?” 

Liam reached for them, opening the first page to see it was Theo’s schedule. Theo, unlike what most people thought, was going to major in Biology. Marine Biology, to be exact. Shocker, huh? He had fucking  _ incredible  _ grades and had been accepted nearly immediately into some of the best schools in the country. And with Liam going for History, their schedules were going to be extremely busy. All of that on top of Liam practicing Lacrosse and Theo having a job… 

Let’s just say one of the two people in the car was very worried it would be too much for their relationship to handle. And it wasn’t Theo. 

“Molecular biology, environmental recovery... and these are the  _ only _ two I know how to pronounce”

Theo chuckled, hearing Liam shuffle around the papers, finding more information the school had already given him.

“Your locker room number is 483, you have ten days to decide if you want to keep it” Liam read the instructions in the back of the key chain, setting it back down “Your classes are in buildings A, D, F and G, always on the third floor, except when you have to go to some specific lab, your teacher will let you know when and where to go, that’s nice”

“What about you? Did you get that many instructions already? Or do you really have to wait for that workshop?” Liam rested his head back, pushing his sunglasses back up the bridge of his nose, sighing.

“I got nothing, they wrote in the email I had to show up ready for a forty minute presentation as to how my course was going to go, pretty much a step by step kind of thing, then classes start for real the next day” Liam spoke, getting his phone out and checking the email again to see if he had missed anything “They said here they will hand out our schedules in said presentation as well, so, yeah, I have to wait”

“Sucks, huh? I’m more excited about you going to college then _me_ going to college” Theo joked, changing lanes, the sun already high in the air. He checked the clock on the dashboard,  _ 11:03  _ “You hungry? I don’t think we have any food left here, but we’re only an hour away”

“I’m good, we can stop somewhere to eat before going home” Liam answered, placing Theo’s papers in his bag along with his phone, hand reaching for the Chimera’s thigh, caressing it despite the jeans “Can we drive by the school, though? Please?”

Theo could only laugh. He had thought Liam was never going to ask.

 

* * *

 

“Okay, this is seriously cool” Theo spoke, eyes dividing their attention between the road and the  _ huge  _ brick construction that showed up in front of their eyes “This is where you’re going to school, Liam”

“I know” Liam whispered, eyes glued to the car window, a light rain falling as he lowered the glass, turning to Theo with a large smile on his face “I’m going to Harvard”

“Yeah, you are” Theo smiled back, glad to let Liam pull him in for a quick kiss before the wolf pulled out his phone, taking a picture of the entrance. He quickly typed a message and sent it to their group, knowing their friends were going to go ballistic “Can we go? I know you said you weren’t hungry, but now I am”

“Sure” Liam chuckled, answering Corey, who had called first “Corey? Wait, let me put you on speakerphone”

“You guys made it there safely?” Mason’s voice came muffled, like he had been eating.

“Yeah, we’re going to lunch now, we just wanted to drive by quickly” Theo answered, following the GPS to an Italian restaurant they had seen on their way there “We’ll go to the apartment and wait for out things after we eat, they should be there by two pm”

They spoke on the phone briefly, hanging up when the waiter arrived to place their order. This wasn’t the first time they had eaten out together. Theo had taken Liam out before, more than once. Their first date, that had been something. They had agreed not to go there, going on dates, but still they had wanted some sense of normalcy. 

But, it was Liam who remembered their anniversary, unlike what the wolf expected. They hadn’t talked about it, they weren’t going to make a big deal out of it, but Liam wasn’t about to let it just pass them by. So he prepared something for them, something small,  _just_ for them, since they had to go to school anyway, he didn't want to have to wait.

That had been the first time someone had bought Theo a present. Ever. And it had triggered something so dark inside the Chimera he pulled away from Liam immediately, without even opening the small box, locking himself inside their bathroom. Liam had banged against the door, apologizing, over and over again, a tightness in his chest, a lump so huge inside his throat he could barely get the words out when he heard Theo crying.

“Why would you do that?” Theo spoke, swinging the bathroom door open, Liam taking a large step back. Because Theo looked at him with somewhat angry, defeated eyes, full of betrayal “Why would you buy me a gift? It’s not like I fucking _deserve_ it”

That had slashed deep at Liam’s soul, the seriousness behind Theo’s words. The Chimera stood there, arms crossed as he stared into Liam’s eyes, _actually_ believing he didn’t deserve to have something as small and mundane as a present. Then it dawned on Liam.

“Do you know what day is today?” Liam asked, not moving closer to Theo, the Chimera shrugging, eyes red as he sniffed, defensive.

“It’s Wednesday, what’s that gotta do with it?” Theo asked, voice somewhat still sharp. Deep down both Theo  _ and  _ Liam knew the Chimera knew the wolf would never hurt him, not intentionally, but Theo couldn’t help letting his walls go up again, even if this was Liam he was talking to.

“Yeah, it’s Wednesday and a year ago  _ today _ you saved me from bleeding out on a hospital floor, does it ring any bells?” Liam witnessed as Theo’s expression changed drastically, realization hitting him within a heartbeat, heart going crazy inside his chest, arms uncrossing “Me kissing you in the elevator?” Liam whispered, taking a couple of slow steps closer to the Chimera.

Theo had his eyes on Liam, fear taking over his expression now, as if he was scared Liam would be angry at him, at his reaction. Liam stood in front of him, wanting to reach for him, comfort him, comfort his Chimera, his demons, but not knowing how. He wasn’t angry, of course not, he was  _ mortified  _ that Theo could even possibly imagine he didn’t deserve a gift.

“Today is our anniversary”

Liam nodded softly, simply bringing his arms around Theo when the Chimera’s tears started rolling freely, the boy seeming ridiculously small as his body started falling to the floor, the two of them on their knees. 

“Fuck, I’m sorry, I’m so, so, so, sorry, Liam...” Liam shook his head, letting Theo relax against him, brushing his tears away “I never…”

“I know, I’m sorry” Liam whispered, hands in Theo’s hair as the Chimera pulled him closer “I know how much that day haunted us and I wanted to mark it with something good, on top of it being the celebration of a year since we started seeing each other”

Theo nodded, arms so tight around his body Liam could’ve swore he heard his ribs cracking. But he didn’t say anything, he didn’t try to pull away. They simply sat there, through Theo’s tears and sobs. When the Chimera finally calmed down, all Liam did was walk into the bedroom, despite Theo’s complaints.

Liam sat next to him again, the small, black box back in his hands. Theo immediately reached for him, pulling Liam in for a kiss, hand reaching for the box.

“I’m sorry, baby, I don’t even know how to explain what the fuck just happened” Theo whispered, fingers pulling at his hair.

“You don’t have to, just open the box” Liam said, resting himself against Theo’s body, enjoying how warm the Chimera felt “It’s may be too much and I’ll understand if you don’t want to wear it…”

Theo didn’t let him finish, undoing the bow and removing the lid. Liam heard the Chimera inhale, but the air never came out. Inside the box there were two 50 BMG bullet shells. And Theo closed his eyes immediately, letting the box fall to his lap, Liam reaching for his hand. The bullets were pendants, with actual golden chains to go with them. 

“This was the very same bullet used on me that day” Liam whispered, lips brushing against Theo’s shoulder, voice low and raspy “And I thought of them as a gift, so we could always be reminded of how close we got to not getting to have this” Theo squeezed his hand, letting go of the box so his other hand could pass around Liam’s waist, bringing the wolf close “And yet, here we are, a full year later”

And there they were, two and a half years later, with two inscriptions to their bullets now, about to add a third. They kept them hidden, under their clothes, the faint smell of gunpowder the only reminder that they were there. Sometimes Liam found himself holding it, whenever Theo made him smile or whenever he missed the Chimera. And he had seen the Chimera doing the same, hand reaching for the pendant, absentmindedly, while he studied or drove.

And, as soon as the necklace was around Theo’s neck, the Chimera never took it off. It was his rock, his reassurance that it was real. That as long as they had it, they had each other. They arrived late to school that day, almost halfway through to their second period, because, well… Theo got creative with his fingers, right there, on the bathroom floor. There was an even better, more creative present waiting for Liam when he got home that night, Theo making it up to him in the  _sweetest_ of ways.

And, at exactly 4:47 pm, Theo locked the door to their new apartment, resting his broad shoulders against it to watch Liam, who was staring at the 52 boxes the moving company had just delivered for them. The Chimera counted them all twice, made sure the ones labeled 'fragile' were still intact, coming to stand in front of Liam.

“This is it, baby” Theo spoke, arms open wide to indicate the messy _mess_  that was their apartment “Home”

And there was hardly anything Theo wouldn’t do for the smile Liam gave him that next second.  _ Home.  _ They already  _ had  _ home, that was with each other, but this apartment was the beginning of a new life for them. And Theo laughed, arms snapping into motion when Liam jumped, powerful thighs around Theo’s waist.

“Can we celebrate?” Liam asked, arms around Theo’s shoulders to steady himself “Can we celebrate that we moved the last box in?” Liam let Theo kiss him softly, pulling away a moment later, but never going too far, whispering against his lips “With your dick in me?”

Theo smirked up at him, hands squeezing Liam’s ass, hoisting the man further up into their embrace. Liam smiled, hugging the Chimera back tightly, kissing his mouth shamelessly loud, the sound wet and delicious. Theo groaned, not wanting Liam to let him go, ever.

“How do you want it, baby?” Theo asked, lips moving on to kiss down Liam’s neck, going straight for that spot that always drove the wolf crazy. Liam moaned softly, almost brokenly  _ begging. _

“Well, the bed is a bit of a cliché, huh?” Liam chuckled, legs squeezing Theo, hands messing up his hair as he pressed Theo’s mouth to his skin even more, almost  _ purring  _ at the feeling. The sound went straight to Theo’s dick “You choose, I’m so  _ horny _ for you, Theo, I could go  _ all _ night, on  _ every _ surface of this apartment”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Really fucking sexy hot times ahead ;)
> 
> Let me know what you think, okay?
> 
> Thanks for reading!


	9. When It Comes To You...

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Oops...

_'Mama, I hope you're proud of me._

_I took all the awful things they did,_

_and turned them into empathy._

 

_Mama, I hope you're proud of me,_

_I may have let their poison under my skin,_

_But I let it drip out of my fingers as poetry'_

_-Nikita Gill, Mama_

 

_“How do you want it, baby?” Theo asked, lips moving on to kiss down Liam’s neck, going straight for that spot that always drove the wolf crazy. Liam moaned softly, almost brokenly begging._

_“Well, the bed is a bit of a cliché, huh?” Liam chuckled, legs squeezing Theo, hands messing up his hair as he pressed Theo’s mouth to his skin even more, almost purring at the feeling. The sound went straight to Theo’s dick “You choose, I’m so horny for you, Theo, I could go all night, on every surface of this apartment”_

Theo almost passed out at those words, hands sliding down Liam’s body to grab the wolf by the thighs, lifting him from the floor. Liam smiled into their kiss, arms hugging Theo tight against his chest. The wolf recognized it immediately, the feeling inside his chest. It was happiness, in its purest form. Liam was happy. Theo was what happiness felt like to Liam, wrapped up around his wolf, on a bed, on the couch, on the floor, on the backseat of the truck (not that that would ever happen again, thank you very much. Liam could still remember how they could barely fit in there). It didn’t matter where or even how, so long as Theo was holding him, Liam was happy.

And it meant the world to him that they were home, at last. Theo had his hands on Liam’s ass, sitting the wolf on the kitchen counter, the smooth marble cold against his natural warm skin. Liam arched into Theo and away from the freezing surface, pulling the Chimera down into him until they were both lying down on the counter, keys, wallets and only God knows what else falling to the floor, forgotten and completely ignored.

“Get them out, _fuck,_ get them _out…”_ Liam whispered, begging as he kissed Theo’s neck, hands in the Chimera’s hair. Theo growled when Liam bit him, eyes flashing a bright yellow as he pulled Liam down, closer to him, a reflex to the bite. Theo didn’t mind Liam biting him, but he couldn’t control how the Chimera reacted to it sometimes.

But all Liam did was smile and wrap his legs around Theo’s waist, ignoring the Chimera’ snarl and getting started on straight up dry humping himself on Theo. Liam moaned, head thrown back and eyes closed at the feeling. It never got old, it never made him feel anything short of absolutely amazing whenever they were together.

Theo pulled away, whimpering at the loss of friction, tugging at the jeans until the fell to the floor, Liam’s hands instantly reaching for his. When Liam reached for his own shirt, Theo stopped him, hands on the wolf’s to hold him in place.

“Keep it on, I don’t the marble to make you cold” Theo spoke, a smirk on his stupidly handsome face. Liam could only smile at him, forgetting all about his shirt when Theo reached for his legs, spitting thickly onto the palm of his hand. Liam’s eyes followed Theo’s hand, the Chimera using his own saliva as lube, stroking himself roughly a few times.

“Do you always think of everything?” Liam whispered, falling back on the counter as he closed his eyes, biting his lips. Theo rolled his eyes fondly, lining himself, feeling that same, familiar, summersault kind of feeling his stomach did every time he got ready to slide into Liam.

“When it comes to you…” Liam smiled, arms reaching around Theo’s neck as the Chimera pushed in, the two of them gasping, hands gripping muscle “... yes, I think of everything”

And, despite of his knees hurting, Theo made love to Liam on the kitchen counter, but they didn’t last long there. And they didn’t stop there either. Well, Liam _had_ said on every surface possible and Theo would be damned if he ever refused to give Liam anything he wanted, a list immediately forming in his mind. So they made love, or even, well, _fucked,_ against the hallway wall (Liam panting, breathless as his back hit against it), the guest room door (which had opened behind Theo, causing them to squeal with laughter once the Chimera was on the floor, Liam on top of him), couch, over the side of the tub.

They came so much in those hours Liam was exhausted, pumped  _full._ Theo had always known he could hold out longer, but even now, as he found himself _watching_ them fucking in front of the excessively large mirror at the end of the hall, which was kinky as fuck, even for them, Theo knew he wasn’t going to last much longer. Liam’s legs shook from exhaustion and Theo could see him drifting, fading away from consciousness, even as he stood there, taking it, like the good partner he was.

But _no._ Not yet.

Liam came screaming, Theo’s hand tight around his dick’s head, ripping the orgasm out of him with full force, leaving him a panting, hot mess that was only still standing because of the man behind him. Theo came inside him, _never_ having gotten used to the amazing feeling of Liam’s ass milking him, of gluing himself to the wolf as he shot into him, arms hugging Liam close.

“Theo…” Liam whimpered, desperate to just close his eyes and sleep. He felt tired, exhausted and used in the _best_ way possibly imaginable and he felt complete in a way he had never thought possible “I don’t think I can walk, Theo…”

“I got you, baby…” Theo let his dick slip from Liam’s ass, the wolf whimpering, handsome face twisted into a frown at the loss. Theo passed his arm under Liam’s knees, arm behind his back and lifted him from where they stood, walking into the master bedroom, kicking the door shut softly “We got one more surface, baby, can you stay awake for me a little longer?”

“‘M tired…” Liam whimpered, eyes closed as Theo put him down softly. This new bed of theirs was comfortable, yes, Liam noticed, but it smelled almost clinical, in a way, like the walls of a hospital or something. Liam couldn’t help but growl at it, hands reaching for Theo, who chuckled.

“You smell it too, huh?” Theo whispered into his ear, hands reaching for Liam’s thighs “I say we change that”

And the last surface Theo made love to Liam on was their bed. It wasn’t enough to get the bed to properly smell like them, but it was a start. It was by far the most delicious of all the times Theo had made love to him that night, Liam cumming so hard he almost passed out, his vision blurry from pleasure, mind caught in a haze so thick all he could see, hear, smell and think about was Theo.

“Fuck, baby, take it…” And Liam could remember Theo cumming, pulling his dick out and stroking himself, biting his lips and throwing his head back in utter bliss before pushing back inside slowly, whimpering into Liam’s neck, kissing him, sucking on his pulse point “Fuck, I’m completely fucked out…”

“What?” Liam whispered, head turned to Theo, who panted next to him. Theo was still inside him, the two of them lying on their sides on the bed. Liam was thankful for how the Chimera held onto him, keeping him grounded and safe against his chest.

“I’m empty, baby” Theo smirked, sucking Liam’s earlobe softly, kissing his shoulder once he let his head fall tiredly back on the mattress “I can’t believe I’m gonna say this, baby…” Theo used his free hand to pull pillows for their heads and a blanket to throw over them, sighing comfortable against the wolf, pressing their bodies perfectly together “... But you fucked me clean, I’m empty”

Liam could only smile, feeling the sudden rush of warmth and somewhat pride that took over him. He held onto Theo’s hand, his wolf satiated like never before. Theo kissed the back of his neck softly, scent marking him slowly and meticulously, just like he liked doing when they had sex this rough, a night that meant so much to them as humans and supernatural beings as well.

“We can only hope your supernatural healing fixes that quickly enough, huh?” Theo groaned, chuckling against Liam’s skin, kissing the wolf, shushing him.

“Try that again tomorrow, baby, when you’re not almost passed out and it might _actually_ sound sexy” Theo teased, the hand that wasn’t under Liam’s neck gripping the wolf’s waist tightly, pulling him against his body, keeping him warm.

Theo only laughed when Liam kicked him softly, too tired to actually do something else about it. It had sounded sexy, though, of course it had, Liam's voice raspy and fucked out, music to his ears. Theo settled with a smile, letting his body work as an extra blanket around Liam, who sighed, squeezing his arm before drifting into sleep.

 

* * *

 

Theo was surprised at how easy it had been for him to find a job. Back in Beacon Hills, after their peace settlement was signed by _everyone,_ it still took some time before people started hiring supernatural beings into their businesses, even though supernatural strength could come in handy in many occasions. When Deaton offered him the job, Theo hadn’t known what to say. He had thought Liam was a better man for the job, really, but Deaton insisted on a trial run anyway.

And after his first week, Theo was hooked. Not really on working with animals, though it wasn’t a problem, but having a routine, feeling useful, watching himself build something that was useful _to other people._ And he had honestly thought finding a job in a city as big as the one they lived in now would be something straight out of a nightmare, but it wasn’t.

Theo had gone out with Liam one day, to buy their school supplies, the wolf excited, with both their lists in hand. Liam had all the patience in the world when it came to these things, having organized himself and researched stores that sold whatever it was that was specific for their courses. Books on Marine Biology were a bit harder to find, but were considerably smaller then the ones Liam was going to be using, so they decided on buying them.

Liam settled for e-books, knowing he could always print the necessary pages if he thought he needed to. Truth be told, this first semester would take a lot of adapting from them. They could even get good discounts in these said stores, so Liam made sure they took their time, enjoying the quietness of it all. If there was one thing, one thing _only_ Liam would miss from Beacon Hills was how quiet it was there, _all_ the time.

Liam pulled at the hem of Theo’s Henley after they were done paying for their things, the Chimera turning to look at him, silently. Liam pointed to a paper taped to the counter, tapping the glass softly. _Job Opportunity!_ it said, in big, bold letters.

“I’ll wait by the car?” Liam winked at him, kissing his cheek softly as Theo felt his hand slide into his pocket. Theo rolled his eyes as Liam grabbed the keys, exiting the store like he wasn’t holding what could easily be eighty pounds worth of college books with one arm.

Though Theo knew very well he could handle it, people still stared, impressed. Theo chuckled when two girls smiled at each other, just outside the shop, whispering to each other once Liam passed. It made Theo feel warm all over, actually. Surprised. People had never hit on Liam before, not that these two did, but it was something Mason had said could happen. And yet, it didn’t worry him. He didn't like it, not one bit, but it didn't worry him. Because he could still feel the delicious tingle of Liam’s warm lips on his cheek, his hand reaching for the pendant, despite his shirt.

Theo rested his elbows on the counter, knocking twice before watching a man who couldn’t be older than twenty five, twenty six years old turn around to look at him, eyebrows raised, inquisitive.

“Hey, how are you? I’m Theo, I see you have a job offer, here at the store?” Theo spoke, chin gesturing towards the paper on the counter when the guy looked at him with something kin to a frown.

“Right, God, I guess we got used to working with a smaller staff” He let his hand out for Theo to take, a soft smile on his lips “I completely forgot about the announcement, _no one_ talks about it, I’m Josh” Theo shook his hand, standing straight “Why? Are you interested?”

“I am, actually” Theo spoke, looking down at the sign again. It didn’t say much, only that there was a job opening at the store “My boyfriend and I just moved here and we’ll be starting college soon, the both of us” Theo pointed a finger in the direction Liam had gone, hearing the wolf’s heartbeat steady, though somewhat faint all the way across the street “He’s on a sports scholarship, I get a job, that’s the plan”

“Cool, so part time, huh?” The guy, Josh, chuckled, moving from behind the counter to stand in front of Theo. He was a bit taller than the Chimera, with dark, blonde hair and glasses “Ever worked at a bookstore before?”

“Not really, but I’m used to moving heavy stuff around, so books wouldn’t be a problem, I work well with other people, I can keep any archive organized and I’m sure that if I could handle my boy’s old laptop, I can handle any system you got” Theo spoke, hearing a chuckle coming from outside, fighting the smile that wanted to take over his face. Josh smiled at him, chuckling “My old boss can even vouch for me, if you need”

“Do you already have your schedule?” Josh asked, arms crossing, though his posture didn’t change, still relaxed and cool, if that could still be used to describe someone these days.

“Classes start next Monday, from 8 to 3” Theo spoke, thankful Liam had decided to read the schedule out loud again the day before “I can work Saturdays too”

“How about you start this Wednesday, from 4:30 to 7, Mon to Fri, so you can have some time to adjust?”

Theo couldn’t believe it would be that fucking _simple._ Josh shook his hand, thanking him, as if Theo shouldn’t be the one doing the thanking. Josh told him the only rule was that Theo _had_ to be there in time, needed to call if he was going to be late for whatever reason. Theo could agree to those terms, glad he wouldn't have to lock up the store at the end of the day.

Liam smiled at him as soon as Theo walked out, still a bit surprised the he had a job, just like that. Well, a trial run, at least. He wrote down the store’s number on his phone, saving it before looking to cross the street. Liam was rested against the side of the truck, on the sidewalk, arms crossed loosely across his chest, a smile on his handsome face.

“I think I just got myself a job” Liam smiled, arms passing around Theo’s shoulders as he brought the Chimera down into a kiss, lips warm and inviting. Theo sighed, just happy that everything was working according to plan. He groaned from deep inside his chest, hugging Liam back.

“I’m sorry I can’t have a job too, but it would be too much, even for a werewolf” Liam spoke against his mouth, eyes closed as he leaning into Theo’s warmth, hand in the Chimera’s hair.

“Don’t sweat it, baby” Theo smirked, eyes shooting to the other side of the street once more, nose capturing the unmistakable scent of want “You know how I always praise myself for not being jealous and all that possessive around you and all?” Theo asked, his tone so serious, all of a sudden that Liam looked up, nodding “Well, there are two girls by the store, _eating you up_ and I’m _really_ jealous and totally possessive right now”

Liam followed Theo’s gaze, finding them. They were two very beautiful girls, actually, who were sitting at the café next to the bookstore. They didn’t see Liam and Theo staring at them, but they couldn’t keep their conversation to themselves, obviously. And those were words Liam wished he could forget. Liam gently guided Theo’s gaze back to his face when the girls turned to look at them again, knowing it was just a matter of time before they understood Liam was with Theo.

“Well, let’s give them a show, shall we?” Liam whispered, hand sliding into Theo’s hair to try and bring the Chimera in for a kiss, but Theo kept their lips at bay, just hovering, eyelids almost closing “You’re gonna deny me a kiss, Theo?”

“Never, baby” Theo whispered back “But… I was just thinking, I know we love each other, but I’m okay with you, you know, having sex with a gi…”

“Don’t even finish that sentence” Liam covered Theo’s mouth with his hand, though it wasn’t enough to stop his brain from conjuring up images of himself, having sex with some chick and it just didn’t appeal to him at all “I’m with you, Theo, and that is enough for me. Do _you_ want to have sex with other people?”

“With how fucked and blissed out you keep me?” Theo smirked, arms pulling Liam closer “I love you, Liam, I love our love life, our sex life, but I’d be open to trying anything to keep you happy”

“I _am_ happy, Theo” Liam smiled “Because I belong to you and yeah, maybe people are gonna look at me and let me tell you, _lots_ of people have looked at you, boys _and_ girls” Theo arched his brows at those words, Liam only shrugging “You’re mine, I know I got nothing to worry about” Theo felt a smile spreading across his face, something warm settling inside his chest at Liam’s words “You’re all I’ll ever want and need”

“Can I have a front row ticket to that show now, please?” Theo whispered, his Chimera howling when Liam laughed, pulling him closer and smashing their mouths together. If anyone around them had any doubts they were together, those were all put to rest with that kiss. Because it was a kiss worthy of a romantic movie, kissing in the rain, I finally found you and I love you, ending scene kiss “Besides, you get to dedicate all your goals to me and only me, so that kinda makes up for it"

Liam smiled that happy and open smile of his, breathless as Theo held him close, hands on his neck as he kissed Theo again. The day was warm and the sun was shining. Everything was perfect, simple like that.

“Also, I’m sure Harvard is gonna hire you, they’d be crazy to ever let you go” Liam groaned, hands in Theo’s hair, the wolf howling softly at the Chimera’s praise. Theo smiled, hands caressing Liam’s skin softly, fingers giving him goosebumps.

“Don’t say things lik…”

It was then that Liam’s heart started beating faster, picking up speed, like he had been running a marathon as a human, the words dying inside his throat. Theo pulled away from their hug, hands immediately holding the sides of Liam’s face, but the wolf’s eyes were fixed somewhere else, locked with whatever it was that made him look so horrified.

Because Theo recognized that look. It was pure _horror._ Terror, even. Fear was nothing compared to this. The Anuk-Ite couldn’t compare to whatever it was that could get Liam like this. Because _nothing_ got _this_ reaction out of the wolf. Liam’s only reaction to strange situations was anger, never fear. And yet here he was, paralyzed by it.

“Liam? Liam, look at me, what’s going on?” Theo asked, forehead resting against the side of Liam’s head, the wolf’s desperation now his own as Liam’s hands gripped him tight under the jacket “Please, talk to me, baby, what’s happening?”

“It’s her” Liam whispered, suddenly hiding, like his body was catching up to his brain once the words were out of his mouth and he heard himself talking. Liam freaking Dunbar was hiding inside his Chimera’s chest, eyes still locked with something over Theo’s shoulder “Fuck, Theo, it’s _her…”_

“Who? Who is it that you’re looking at? Why are you hiding?” Theo asked all at once, arms protective around Liam. Theo fought to keep himself in control, the change in Liam’s posture too sudden for the Chimera to stay hidden. But they were out in the open, on the _street._ Whatever had caused this to Liam, they’d have to face it as humans. They couldn’t risk everything they had worked for being exposed, not now, not _ever._

“It’s my mother…” Liam whispered, face now tucked against Theo’s throat, smelling the Chimera, hugging him tight against his own body. Theo tensed, arms circling even more around Liam.

 _“What?_ Where is she?” Theo turned around, arms still around Liam as he followed the finger the wolf had used to point at a woman almost two whole blocks away from them. How Liam had even _seen_ her was beyond his comprehension. Theo then found he would’ve recognized her too, because Liam was just like her, every little detail Theo could see from where he stood, was proof Liam had certainly gotten from her. Liam tugged at his clothes, urging him to turn back around “It's okay, I’m here”

Theo held onto Liam’s body, holding him together, in a way. The wolf kept panting, eyes following the woman until she was nowhere to be found and her heart could no longer be heard, even by them, over the sounds of the busy street. Theo caressed his back, not once trying to shush him, trying simply to get him to calm his heart down.

“Breathe, baby, please” Theo whispered, arms pressing Liam tighter against his chest. Liam closed his eyes, forehead against Theo’s shoulder, letting a sob escape his body as the tears came flooding out from his eyes “She’s gone, it’s over”

It took twenty, long minutes for Liam to calm down, the wolf hyperventilating. They just stood there, hugging, the wolf whimpering softly, pained into Theo’s jacket, the Chimera simply hugging back.

“I’m sorry, God, I’m sorry” Liam tried pulling away from the hug, but Theo didn’t let him, hugging himself completely around the wolf, feeling the Chimera sigh happily when Liam passed his arms tight around his back “What the fuck is she even _doing_ here?”

“I don’t know, baby” Theo sighed, pulling away to hold the sides of Liam’s face once more, the wolf’s big blue eyes widely staring up at him “But it’s over now, okay? You ever see her again, or your father and you call me immediately, you hear me?”

Liam only nodded, mind going blank at the words. He hadn’t even thought about his father, his mouth running dry at the idea of seeing either of them again. Theo’s arm circled his waist, pulling him towards the passenger seat of the truck now that Liam was a bit calmer.

“Let me take you home, get you in the tub and give you a massage, huh?” Liam nodded, sitting and letting Theo buckle his seatbelt. Theo sighed, hand in the back of Liam’s neck when the wolf pulled him in for a kiss, deepening it not a second later.

“I’m sorry I reacted like that…” Liam whispered again, eyes slowly opening to look at Theo, almost as if ashamed of what he had done.

“Liam, baby, you have nothing to apologize for” Theo’s hand squeezed Liam’s neck, the wolf moaning at the feeling “I swear, I ever see you like this again and I might do something I’ll probably _not even_ regret later, considering the shit these _motherfuckers_ did to you. Just let me get you home, alright? My Chimera is going fucking wild right now. Let’s just go home”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Okay, some hurt!Liam, comfort, fix-it, protective!Theo coming right up!
> 
> Let me know what you think, will you?
> 
> Thanks for reading!


	10. Danced Inside His Very Bones

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Kiss it better...

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Read the end notes, please :)

_'Beg no one to stay_

_When they decide_

_They want to leave._

 

_Your love is not a cage_

_for wild hearts._

_It is a gift to be well recieved'_

_-Nikita Gill, Do Not Beg_

 

Theo only relaxed when Liam smelled happy again, which was after dinner and lazing around in the tub. Theo joined him, getting rid of the clothes that reeked of terror and throwing in the water a good amount of those bath salts Liam liked so much. Anything for the wolf to smell like himself once more. Liam was jumpy, reaching for Theo every chance he got, shoulder hunched into himself, uncharacteristically quiet. Theo would never let  _her_ do this to Liam, not again. For almost three whole years, they had lived their lives, away from parents. Being the only family they needed. That woman was  _not_ going to ruin all the hard work and effort Theo had put into making Liam realize his parents leaving had absolutely nothing to do with him, that it wasn't his fault. 

Liam relaxed against the Chimera, kissing Theo’s chest every couple of minutes, hands roaming his body freely, sweetly, lazy in the path they traced. Theo did the same, washing Liam carefully, teasing sweetly his already tender skin. It was all very calm, something that occurred not very often for them. They were always teasing, joking and fighting in their ‘I care about you and I only do it because I love you’ way. 

But Liam needed this. He needed the tender touch and the reassurance that Theo would hold him through anything. Liam sighed, hands stilling as his arms came to hug Theo’s waist, eyes closed as he counted the times the Chimera’s heart beat under him. It was how Anchors worked. Anchors could be feelings, memories, emotions, but they were stronger when they were actual people. And Liam couldn't really pinpoint the moment Theo had sunk into his wolf as  _his_ Anchor, but there the Chimera was, keeping him sane once more. 

“Will we ever be normal?” Liam whispered, voice rough from all the sobbing as the words slipped past his tongue. He was too tired to fight it at this point, the water too warm and Theo felt way too good like this for him to feel anything other than perfectly safe “Will we ever _not_ be haunted by all of this fucking crap?”

“I doubt it, baby” Theo huffed, arms hugging Liam closer to his chest, the water barely warm now, the bathroom smelling faintly of vanilla. Theo's nostrils were simply so full of _Liam_ the Chimera was sure he wouldn’t smell anything other than the wolf for, at least, two whole days “It’s who we are, I guess” Theo sighed, his cheek resting on the top of Liam’s head “We’ve been through a lot and we’re scarred for life, but it's us”

“Fuck, what am I gonna _do_ if I see her again?” Liam spoke, moving so he could look at Theo, his blue eyes almost a stormy gray in the dimly lit bathroom, all of his doubts stored behind the mirrors to his soul “Or worse, what if we actually _run_ into each other? Like face to face, run into each other? This city just isn't big enough for the two of us, Theo, what do I even _say_ to her?”

“Nothing” Theo held Liam’s face, thumbs caressing his cheeks “You’re not gonna say _anything,_ baby, because she’s not worthy of your time, of ever looking at you again”

“She’s my _mother…”_ Liam whispered, eyes closed as he leaned into Theo’s touch, the wolf inside his chest letting out a pained howl at the hurricane that danced inside his very bones. Liam hated this, hated how one second had been enough to ruin their entire day, how Theo's heart had suddenly stopped beating, his arms protective around his body, ready to fight off whatever it was that was headed their way. And it was his mother. His fucking mom. 

“No, she’s not” Theo pushed his back away from the tub, chest closer to the wolf’s “She gave up on that right when she walked out of her teenage son’s life, your father too” Theo’s voice was soft, but the words were still sharp. True, yet sharp. Theo didn’t mean to hurt him, obviously, simply remind him that not even his mother deserved to be treated like she still had a place in his life “Baby, parents don’t leave their children behind, no matter what. I understand they were scared, but that’s not an excuse to disappear from their child’s life for three years”

“Fuck, I know” Liam spoke, hands coming up Theo’s arms and clinging to the Chimera, like a lifeline. Liam refused to cry any more tears, but he still felt a lump in his throat he couldn’t get rid of, no matter how much better he felt or how many times Theo kissed him “I know, I just wish we could be normal, that I could have them _and_ you, college and us moving here, _all_ of it”

“I’m sorry this had to happen, baby” Theo sighed, resting his forehead against the wolf’s “You will _never_ understand how fucking unbelievably _angry_ it makes me, that they just left you. But you have to understand, you have your own life now, you _have_ me”

“I know” Liam smiled, hands sliding up Theo’s neck, into his still dry hair “I love you, I think I haven’t said it in a while” Liam whispered, sighing when the Chimera moved to pull him closer, sitting in between his strong legs.

“Oh, you said it plenty, just a couple of nights ago, baby” Theo smirked, watching, _very_ pleased with myself as Liam opened his eyes, cheeks turning into a deep red as realization hit him “Now, don’t be like that, baby, you know I love it when you _scream_ your love for me”

“Shut up” Liam whispered, turning away from Theo, hands covering his face. Theo chuckled, hand on the back of Liam’s neck, bringing him back, wanting nothing more than to get that woman out of Liam's head “You know just how to drive me crazy, huh?”

“Three years, baby” Theo whispered with a smirk, urging Liam to open his gorgeous eyes again to look at him “I love you, baby, you know that, right?” Liam nodded, smiling as he bit down on his bottom lip, feeling the wolf howl inside of his own chest “Good, now, how about we…”

Theo’s voice died inside his throat, head snapping to look down, eyes fixed as Liam’s hand circled around his dick, gripping him tight, a hiss and a snarl escaping his lips, hips bucking into the feeling. Liam chuckled, snuggling closer, arm passing around Theo’s shoulder as he gripped Theo better, tugging.

Theo breathed out, forehead resting against Liam’s shoulder as he closed his eyes, arm circled tight around the werewolf’s waist.

“Liam…”

“I got you…” Liam whispered into Theo’s ear, kissing the skin just beneath his ear softly, leaving a wet, tender feeling behind “I know how to drive you crazy too, remember?”

All Theo could do was whimper, nodding into the wolf’s chest. Liam smiled, resuming his attack on Theo’s skin, his hand slowly jerking the Chimera off. Theo moaned, restrained by the small tub, but moving along with Liam’s hand as best as he could.

Liam knew Theo’s body better than he knew his own, knew what every movement of his hand did to the Chimera, every reaction he got, knew what every whimper, growl, snarl and moan meant, knew how to speed up, just the way Theo liked it. The Chimera threw his head back, letting it fall with a silent thud against the tub.

“Fuck, baby…” Theo whispered, breathless in his pleasured haze, mind foggy and eyes closed. His hands slid down Liam’s back, holding his waist “You know me so fucking well, Liam…” Liam chuckled, hand never stopping as it slid down all the way, fingers brushing against Theo’s balls before going back to the head.

“Yeah, I do…” Liam breathed out into Theo’s neck, leaving kisses in his path to the Chimera’s chest “I know you well enough to know you’d rather cum _in_ me than on my hand” Theo couldn’t fight the smile that nearly cracked his face in half as he opened his eyes to witness Liam passing a leg over his waist, hand still tight around his hard cock “You’re not gonna last long, are you?” Liam whispered, hand caressing Theo’s hair, brushing it back.

Theo shook his head, hips fucking into the delicious pressure Liam kept on him, eyes closing as he threw his head back again. Liam was going to fucking kill him like this, with his eyes, his tongue poking out, his lips, his hands, his kisses, his words. And he didn’t even know he had this effect on the Chimera.

Liam smiled when Theo complained at the sudden loss of contact with his rock hard dick, the wolf using both of his hands to spread his asscheeks wide. Theo’s hand gripped his waist tight, holding the base of his dick with the other. He loved it when Liam was all naughty for him, giving him handjobs and all, but nothing could ever compare to this, to being inside him, to filling the wolf like this.

Theo groaned, hands pulling Liam down into him until there was no more water between their bodies. Theo held his breath, only breathing again when he felt like he wasn’t going to cum just from sliding into the fucking unbelievably tightness of Liam’s delicious ass. Liam smiled at him, breathless as he held himself up against the tub, eyes focused on Theo’s reaction.

“Okay?” The wolf whispered, hand on the back of Theo’s neck, thumb caressing his cheek. Theo smiled, blinking his eyes to get rid of the white dots that danced in front of Liam’s flushed cheeks and worried eyes.

“Better than okay” Theo panted a bit, hands on Liam’s waist as he moaned, feeling everything flowing from Liam’s body to his “Fucking so much better than okay”

Liam smiled, coming down to brush his lips against Theo’s as he moved both his hands back to the edge of the tub. Theo moaned under him, hands sliding up his back, deepening the kiss immediately, asking for more of Liam. But Theo pulled away from the wolf’s mouth, as soon as Liam lifted himself, just about an inch, hips hustling against the Chimera’s, soft yet forceful, all in one smooth movement, knocking the air right out of Theo’s lungs.

And after that, Liam didn’t stop. He hustled his hips against Theo’s, slowly and steady at first, hands fisting the Chimera’s hair as they moaned into each other’s mouths, breathing the same air, too far gone to ever let go. Theo’s hands moved down to Liam’s ass, feeling the movement as the wolf worked, never asking him to do anything differently, feeling like he could die, like this, _just like this,_ happy.

Liam fucking growled on top of him, eyes closed as the sound left his chest, Theo’s hands fisting his asscheeks, pushing back into the wolf, grinding against him. Liam moaned, eyebrows shooting up as he bit his lip, arm passing around Theo’s shoulders to hold himself better.

“I’m so close, Liam, fuck…” Theo moaned, forehead against Liam’s shoulder as he felt his balls tightening, his abs flexing. This was going to be a strong one. Liam pulled away, sinking down on Theo to the hilt, the Chimera’s back arching without his permission “Fuck, baby!”

“Don’t cum” Liam whispered, simply rolling his hips in circles, moaning when he felt Theo’s dick touch everything inside his body “Not until I tell you to, okay?”

“I can’t do that, Liam, not this close…” Theo breathed out, hands squeezing Liam’s waist, the wolf still grinding their hips together. Liam’s fingers brushed through his hair, fisting the strands and pulling his head back softly, mouth on the Chimera’s for a few moments before he pulled away.

“Can you try for me, Theo?” Liam whispered, lifting himself off of Theo’s dick and sinking back down. Theo’s eyes snapped open, jaw slack as he nodded, hands on Liam’s thighs as he cursed “Can you try for me?”

“Yes, yes, fuck, _fuck,_ I’ll try” Liam smiled, biting his lips as he braced himself on the tub again “You’re so amazing, Liam, fuck…” Theo praised him, hand sliding up Liam’s chest until he held the side of the wolf’s neck, eyes locking with his “Fuck, so beautiful…”

“I got you, Theo” Liam moved Theo’s hand to his waist, the Chimera happy to just hold him however he could. Liam held the edge of the tub again, letting his hips do all the work “I got you…”

Theo groaned in return, watching as his dick got lost inside Liam, despite the blurry water, over and over, his brain going into overdrive. There was cum already leaking and Theo did his best, he really did, not to cum, Liam’s ass gripping him like a vine, the sexy, intimate way the wolf rode him milking his cock to a point he had never experienced before, even with Liam.

He held off his orgasm, but couldn’t take his eyes off of Liam. Off of his precious Liam, who was now bouncing beautifully on his cock, hand gripping himself as he teased his own nipple, head thrown back as the water flopped around his body. Theo couldn’t hold back, not watching _this. This_ was worthy of some five star porn and it drove Theo crazy to know no other person would _ever_ get to see, let alone have Liam like _this._

“Liam, I can’t hold it back, baby, I’m gonna cum...” Theo moaned through gritted teeth, wanting to be good and do this for Liam, but he was way too close to the edge to fight it now “I’m gonna cum, I’m gonna fucking _cum_ …”

“Hold back, Theo” Liam moaned, hips snapping faster as his hands came to rest on Theo’s shoulders, squeezing his muscles there “Just a little longer, I’m so close…”

Theo felt the Chimera snap, clawing at his control. He couldn’t control the roar that escaped his chest, fingers digging into Liam’s ass as he fought to keep himself from cumming with everything he had. Liam smiled when Theo opened his mouth and that loud, _violent_ and dominant roar escaped him, and yet Theo fought to do as he asked.

“I’m so close, Theo, fuck…” Liam closed his eyes, forehead against Theo’s chest as he pushed back into Theo’s dick, pulling back a moment later to properly ride the Chimera again, who could only growl at him. Liam moved his legs so he could kneel better and Theo’s dick went inside him, so fucking _deep_ he felt the orgasm building up, being ripped out of his body, faster than a heartbeat “Fuck, Theo, _now!_ Now, cum in me, Theo, _now”_

That was all Theo ever needed to hear, feet on the tub as he fucked into Liam, fangs elongating as he roared once more. Liam held the tub as he smiled, watching Theo cumming in him, how the Chimera growled, the sound slowing down to a whimper as he panted, dick still shooting inside Liam.

“Okay, it’s okay, I’m here…” Liam whispered when Theo pulled him closer, the wolf hissing more out of habit rather than anything else when Theo slipped out of him. Liam lied on top of Theo, the Chimera still breathless as his arms wrapped around his back. Liam slid his hands up to Theo’s neck, massaging his scalp softly as they calmed down “I’m here…”

“I love you” Theo whispered into his ear, his voice characteristically sleepy. Theo hardly ever slept after sex, but it had been an intense orgasm, specially for him. Liam smiled, resting his head against Theo’s chest as his hand reached for the tap, pouring some more hot water into the tub, the Chimera groaning.

“I love you...” Liam whispered back, closing the tap a few moments later, not wanting for them to get too comfortable. They relaxed for a bit, Liam’s eyes opening when he heard a soft sound coming from Theo.

_Baby, I’d do anything you want_

_Lock me down like I’m your slave_

_Cause when you’re done with me_

_I can’t even concentrate_

Liam smiled, chin rested on Theo’s chest, the Chimera _singing_ softly, with his eyes closed. Theo yawned towards the end of the last word, making something warm spread across Liam’s chest. He had caught Theo humming before, in the car, in the shower, while cooking. But never really singing. Theo’s arms squeezed him again, hugging him better, snuggling closer.

“Is that song for me or are you just singing yourself to sleep?” Liam joked, resting back against Theo’s chest when the Chimera chuckled softly, hands coming to brush Liam’s hair back as he yawned again, Theo’s eyes never opening.

“It’s your song, baby” Theo whispered, voice soft and raspy “Like it?”

“I love it and I would love to hear all of it later, but you should sleep for a bit, right now” Liam whispered, thumb caressing a nipple softly, not moving after Theo’s breaths came out move even “I’ll wake you up in ten”

“Make that twenty” Theo whispered, yawning right after, arms pulling Liam closer, as if it was even possible “You really fucked me out”

Liam rolled his eyes fondly, even though Theo couldn’t see him. Theo’s handsome face relaxed and Liam couldn’t help but stare, watching over him, caressing his nape softly. Yup, he was happy, alright. He’d get through anything with Theo by his side.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Okay, guys, I know this chapter was shorter, but trust me, I'll make up for it. Yesterday, I was very inspired and I wrote three whole chapters, so there's a lot to look forward to. I hope you guys like them *crosses fingers* Anyway, since my ideas for this story kinds shifted after chapter 7, the tags have been greatly updated, so please check them, okay? 
> 
> Thank you so much for reading and for all the love, okay? And if you have any questions about the tags, let me know down below or just wait and see ;) That works too <3


	11. Coppery Taste of Blood

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> TRIGGER WARNING: Very mild non-con touching
> 
> Please, read the end notes

_'We could fight,_

_and argue,_

_and scream_

_at each other_

_but baby_

_you will always_

_be the only person_

_I want to make_

_coffee for_

_in the morning'_

_-Nikita Gill, You_

“I’m not going” Liam spoke, his hair falling in front of his eyes as he got bread and jam out of the brown paper bags he had just placed on the counter, his back to Theo, ignoring the Chimera groaning behind him “Theo, classes start tomorrow, I’m not going to some party”

“It’s not just some party, Liam” Theo spoke, grabbing Liam’s arm and turning the wolf to him. Liam rolled his eyes, not even trying to hold back the smile that tugged at his lips “It’s a welcome to campus party, to which a freshman has never _not_ gone to, you said so yourself. You kinda _have_ to go” Theo spoke, hip against the counter as he stared at Liam.

“No, I don’t, I have something far greater here, at home” Liam smiled, Theo rolling his eyes at him, biting his lip to keep himself from returning the smile. Liam’s hands came to rest on his abs, over his tank top, his warmth more than enough to cause a chill to run down Theo’s spine. Theo kept himself focused, doing his best to ignore the warm, spicy scent of Liam’s arousal filling his nostrils “Besides, I can’t get drunk ‘cause my body burns through the alcohol too fast, I have to be up at 5:30, which is something I haven’t done in a while, I’d like to arrive for my first class at _Harvard_ not looking like a Walking Dead zombie, thank you very much, I have my first Lacrosse practice tomorrow afternoon and, to top it all off, you’re _here._ Tell me again why I should go to that party, I’ll wait”

“Baby, I’m flattered, I really am” Theo spoke, a smirk on his lips, hands coming to hold Liam’s waist as he opened his legs for the wolf to stand in between them “But have you thought that maybe they’ll give you hell for not showing up? Twenty minutes, say hi, have a drink and come home, that’s it. I wouldn’t dream of not showing up to any party my college throws”

“I have thought about it, actually” Liam sighed, pinching the bridge of his nose as he felt Theo kissing his forehead, then the Chimera breathing warmly against his cheek, finally reaching his neck “Will you come with me? I did tell them you were the reason I wasn’t going, so I guess it’s only fair that you do”

“You actually told them about me?” Theo spoke, feeling surprise shoot through him, the Chimera pulling away from his boyfriend’ skin. Theo couldn’t see how he had come up in a conversation as short as Liam had made it sound, with a bunch of people he had met for the first time, in that workshop, earlier that day “Why?”

“Because we _live_ together, because you’re my _boyfriend,_ because it’s the truth, take your pick, Theo” Liam smiled, kissing Theo’s cheek, letting his hands caress their way up Theo’s chest, circling his neck next “You’re right, I suppose. I should go, but don’t stress about coming with me, I’ll be back by eleven, before you know it”

“No, of course I’ll come, I gotta show 'em you’re taken” Theo teased, earning a smile for the wolf. Liam kissed him, moving away from their hug and going back to putting their groceries where they belonged. Theo crossed his arms again, biting down on his thumb. He didn’t like this, Liam going out to this party. Theo wasn’t the jealous type, that’s why he _wanted_ Liam to go, he really did. And he’d come if that’s what Liam wanted. It was part of his life as a student, he _had_ to go. They couldn’t let stupid Werewolf and Chimera instincts get in the way of their lives “Besides, you get to show me off” Liam huffed from where he stood, rearranging the dozens of vitamin water bottles they had in their fridge.

“Why do I feel like you’re only coming with me to show _me_ off?” Liam spoke, shutting the fridge and reaching out for Theo, who gladly let the wolf pull him into their bedroom.

“I’m only coming because you asked me to” Theo spoke, following Liam into their bathroom, the wolf throwing him a knowing smile over the shoulder, pushing the door open “Me getting to show you off is just the icing on the cake, baby”

Once they had changed clothes, not bothering to change into anything that was too much, they made their way to the car. Theo had been wanting to change it for a newer, perhaps smaller one, but now wasn’t the time, obviously. The party wasn’t on campus, though, which thankfully meant they didn’t have to go very far. Liam already wasn’t happy about going, Theo wouldn’t have been able to convince him had the drive been any longer. Theo drove them there, picking up on the acre smell of anxiety coming from Liam. Theo knew Liam wasn’t exactly a people-person when it came to large crowds, but he still rolled his eyes at the wolf for behaving like this.

“Thank God I’m the only one that can smell you right now, baby”

“We don’t know that” Liam whispered back, smiling and looking down in time to see Theo reach for his hand, intertwining their fingers. They weren’t one of _those_ couples, but, with that many people, they were, at least enough to keep themselves in check “For all we know, there is a pack here, we just haven’t found anyone yet. They know we’re here, we got their permission, but it could still go to shit, for all we know, all of it” Liam growled lowly, forehead hitting Theo’s shoulder before the wolf straightened out once more “Anyway, let’s just get this over with, shall we?” Liam’s voice sounded a tad too high, even to himself and his hand squeezed Theo’s a bit too tight.

“Relax, Liam” Theo pulled at Liam’s hand, making them stop on their way to the house where the party was being thrown. There were people all around them, on the street, screaming, talking, so Theo kept his voice down, his body close to the wolf’s. They could hear the music coming from inside the house, could smell the booze and the people dancing “This is not the first party you’ve been to, I know that for a fact. Let’s just say hi to people, make sure they know you were here, be nice and smile, I’ll do my best not to bite anyone, alright?” Theo took a step, getting even closer to Liam and it was enough for the wolf to calm down, letting the Chimera’s scent wash over him. Theo passed an arm around his waist, Liam smiling as he nodded, his forehead against the Chimera’s “But not too nice, you’re mine” Liam huffed through his nose, rolling his eyes at that.

Theo smiled at seeing Liam smile, the acid smell of anxiety and the stiffness in his back dissipating considerably, the wolf pulling him by the hand towards the door. The music only got louder the closer they got, the smell of cheap alcohol served in those red plastic cups only getting stronger with each step. Theo passed his arm over Liam’s shoulder, bringing his body closer as they crossed the threshold. Liam purred softly in his throat, thankful for the proximity as he passed his arm around Theo’s back in return.

They walked into the house, finding people _everywhere._ They had to use every ounce of restraint they had not to purse their lips or wrinkle their noses at the sudden rush of chemo signs coming from all around. There were couples kissing, people talking (trying to) above the noise and drinking, lots of drinking, lots of dancing too. Theo let Liam head into the house first, his hand sliding to the small of his back as he watched everything around. It was just something Theo did. Keep track of every exit, finding the nearest one, especially if Liam was with him.

He couldn’t help it, not when there was music blocking his ears and liquor burning his nose. Their senses were still a lot more enhanced than a human's, but they didn’t have that bigger of an advantage in that house and the Chimera whined, wiggling around to find a route out, just in case something went wrong. And as soon as Theo found one, he felt himself settling a bit more, not quite relaxed, but enough to focus on Liam guiding him through the house, waving at some people he had met that morning or on other days he had visited campus.

Unlike what Liam expected when they walked in, finding Robert, the Lacrosse team captain who was throwing the party, was pretty damn easy, considering the mess the house found itself to be at that very moment. He was in the kitchen, hip resting against the counter as he talked to some other guy, red cup in hand. Robert, who was somewhere in his mid twenties, turned to look at Liam when the other guy pointed, smiling at him immediately through the dry ice fog, leaving his cup on the counter.

“Look who decided to show up!” Robert said, clapping Liam on the shoulder. Robert turned to the guy he had been talking to, pointing at Liam “Mike, this is Liam Dunbar, freshman for History, is that it? This is Mike, junior quarterback”

“That’s correct, what’s up, man?” Liam shook hands with Mike, who nodded at him “You can thank Theo for me being here, he convinced me” Liam passed his arm behind Theo’s back, the Chimera smiling at him, rolling his eyes fondly before stepping up. Theo wasn’t very fond of meeting people, he just wasn’t good at small talk when he didn’t need something from others, but he’d do it, for Liam “This is Robert, he’s graduating in a couple of weeks, he’s the one responsible for all the Lacrosse freshmen this year”

“Well, I gotta find a replacement for team captain before leaving, thank you for bringing him tonight” Theo only nodded, small smile on his face as he let his arm circle Liam’s waist again “Coach said you might be what we’ve been looking for, from what he saw back when you were still in high school, is that right?”

Liam didn’t know what to say, he never did when people said things like that. And Theo knew nothing was going to come out of Liam’s lips, so he took the lead, hand resting on the counter, eyes not looking at the wolf when Liam turned to look at him.

“Can you not be that humble for like, _one_ night? Yes, he is all that” Theo spoke, the fingers of his free hand brushing through Liam’s hair, the Chimera kissing the skin behind his ear “Truth is, Liam knows the game better than anyone, he’s been playing it for how long now, twelve years?” Liam nodded, smiling softly at Theo, ignoring completely the other two guys who seemed focused on what he was saying, not the whole PDA right up their noses. It wasn’t an act, it was how they were and Theo often had to deal with Liam’s insecurities, but he hardly ever spoke like that to other people and it made the wolf blush, looking down as he bit his lip, unable to hold back the spike of happiness that Theo most _definitely_ sensed, given how he squeezed Liam against his body “I guess you’ll only really understand when you see him tomorrow, when he tries out for team captain”

Gratitude poured from Liam’s eyes onto Theo’s, the Chimera shrugging. It _was_ true. Robert and Liam engaged in a conversation about Lacrosse, the captain introducing him to some of the other players on the team. The captain was looking forward to Liam trying out the next day and it only worked to get Liam even more nervous, no matter how Theo squeezed his waist at that. Theo stood there, chin rested on Liam’s neck as he enjoyed how happy and relaxed the wolf smelled, despite the rush of nervousness regarding what the following day could bring. There was nothing Theo could say or do that would relax him at this point.

“I’m gon go grab us something to drink, okay?” Theo whispered, Liam turning his head and nodding, squeezing his hand. Liam felt his phone vibrating in his pocket, checking to find a text Mason had sent to their group. Liam replied, saying he and Theo were at this Harvard freshman welcome party thing, but would be leaving soon, since classes started the next day.

He had been too distracted, even for a werewolf, looking down at his phone, to do anything about what happened next.

“Hey, babe, I ain’t never seen you ‘round here before!” Someone said, way too loudly, by his ear. And it obviously wasn’t Theo. Liam felt a large body glue itself to his, an arm turning him around. Liam’s eyes bulged as he saw the man standing in front of him. He was maybe just a year or two older than Theo, not totally drunk, but enough that he couldn’t hold himself upright, his hand could barely hold the cup up.

The man’s arm circled Liam’s waist, pulling him close as one of his legs pushed the space in between the wolf’s, opening them. That’s when Liam felt it, his erection. The guy was really hard and seemed to want Liam to help him with it. Liam felt something inside himself sink, his eyes immediately looking around to all those people. He couldn’t wolf out there, he _couldn’t_ lose it. And it drove him _that_ much closer to the edge when he couldn’t rely on his wolf.

All Liam could smell coming off the guy was straight up alcohol, maybe some hair gel and some faint toothpaste, if he focused. The arm the guy had around his waist only tightened when Liam tried pulling away, the wolf feeling bile coming up his throat at the thought of having to hold himself back so he wouldn’t do something he’d regret later.

This guy had the upper hand here and it drove Liam mad. With anger and… _desperation._

“Freshman” Liam said, trying not to let his heartbeat rise and his voice trumble, begging inside his very being for Theo to just come back, like _now_ “Look, you should really let me go now, I’m seeing someone” Liam spoke, keeping himself upright without touching the guy any more than he was already being forced to.

“Oh, please, let’s just go upstairs, we can be quick” The guy let go of his cup, the sour liquid splashing on the counter as that same hand came up to hold Liam by the back of his neck. And that’s how the wolf knew this wasn’t going to turn out okay. And it mortified Liam to know this _was_ going to trigger Theo in some kind of way. Theo didn’t deserve that, didn’t deserve to have something he liked doing to Liam taken from him. Theo was going to go insane when he smelled someone else on his favorite place to scent mark Liam and there was nothing Liam could do to stop his wolf from taking over his limbs, his body wiggling and fighting as he tried to get away with as much calmness as werewolfly possible.

“Dude, I’m _not_ interested” Liam fought back the growl that wanted to escape his chest when the guy didn’t give up on the chase. Then he felt the man letting go of his waist, a surprised gasp coming from him, but all Liam could think about was using that momentum to step away from his grip, feeling like he could finally breathe again, hating how all he could inhale was _him._ But still the man was too close for comfort, his other hand still inside the back pocket of Liam’s jeans.

“You have about _three_ motherfucking _seconds_ to get your fucking hands off of him before I start throwing punches” Theo’s voice was barely audible due to all the noise people made and all the music, but if Liam heard him, the man certainly had too. The guy's hands didn’t move much, but he turned to Theo, whose Chimera obviously took that as a challenge, how Liam’s heart didn’t slow down, hands fisting at his sides “Time’s up”

But before Theo could pull his hand back and throw the first punch, Liam grabbed the guy’s neck and pushed him onto the counter, his arm hitting the marble harshly. If Theo had thrown the punch, he would’ve lost control and, in a party, Liam couldn’t allow that. There were too many people and maybe it was the adrenaline, or the sudden need to protect the Chimera, to care for him, but the wolf was thinking a mile a minute, something Theo had given up a long time ago. The man screamed, but not a single person cared, the music too loud for anyone to even turn around and bother to understand what was happening.

Honestly, Liam could’ve,  _should’ve,_ gone a lot rougher on him, he had that right at this point. But he didn’t want any trouble, didn’t need any, not with his records. All he wanted was to start school, try out for the Lacrosse team and move on with his life, wanted peace with Theo. He didn’t need the Harvard Board already pondering whether to expel him or not. Not over  _some asshole._

“You touch me one more time and I won’t hesitate to let my _boyfriend_ come find you, do you hear me?” Liam spoke, eyes on Theo the whole time, the Chimera fulminating, nostrils flaring as he dug his claws into his palm. Liam saw just how hard it was for him to keep his yellow eyes hidden, but refused to look away, the need to make sure Liam would be okay spoke louder than the Chimera screaming to be released. And Liam took a deep breath, thankful Theo hadn’t lost all control over his human side “Like I said, I’m taken. You should be thankful I didn’t let my boy here teach you a lesson on consent” Liam let his body fall to the floor, the guy whimpering as he held his arm against his body “Come on, let’s go”

Liam grabbed Theo by the hand, the Chimera closing his other hand around Liam’s arm as they aimed for the front door of the house, leaving it all behind. Liam didn’t stop walking until they reached the truck, thankful that they were parked at a somewhat darker corner of the street when Theo pushed him against the side of it and his hands reached under his jacket and shirt, stripping Liam.

Liam moaned when the cold, night air hit his skin, forcing himself not to give into the feeling of Theo against him as he looked all around them, making sure no one would see the Chimera like this, or had followed them from the party. If the guy brought back up and found Theo like this, there’d be a bloodbath. Liam couldn’t, just couldn’t give himself the luxury of losing control, of giving in.

Theo dropped Liam’s clothes to the floor, his mouth instantly aiming for Liam’s neck. Liam moaned, hands on the back of Theo’s neck and shoulder to try and muffle against his own skin the growl that escaped the Chimera when he smelled someone else on Liam, on _his_ Liam. Theo wasn’t an Alpha, his Chimera didn’t have that need to be dominant, but he was _to Liam._ Theo _was,_ in a way, Liam’s Alpha. In the way he protected Liam, cared for him, loved him. Not in the way Alphas are Alphas to their packs, but how Alphas are Alphas to their partners, to those they had chosen to spend their lives with.

Liam had spent a long time talking to Stiles about this, about how Derek had told him about his wolf wanting Stiles. Though their situation was a bit different, with Stiles being human, he had still been able to feel the connection, the need to submit to the Alpha spark inside of Derek, though not as strongly, had he been a wolf. Derek had never forced himself on Stiles, fighting off that instinct to protect and claim to let Stiles have a life first and Liam just couldn’t picture something like that ever working for him and Theo. Waiting, having a life _first._  Stiles had told him that Derek had a thing with consent, with what Kate had done to him and with their age difference.

That had been the main reason Derek had kept his distance. Though he was only six years older than Stiles, which wasn’t even _that_ bad really, Stiles _was_ underage when they met and was _still_ underage when his wolf begged to lay claim on him. It all made more sense after Stiles explained it all, how they were so connected. Stiles had merely laughed, saying they would get there too. And Liam had sighed, not a week later when he texted the FBI intern, saying that he had been stupid not to realize how intrinsically _Theo’s_ he already was.

Stiles had called him not three minutes later, rambling on and on about planning their _wedding,_ to which Liam blushed to the _deepest_ shade of red human or even wolf skin probably could go. He chuckled, hand on the back of his neck when Theo decided that was a good time to arrive home from work, Liam wanting the ground to swallow him up because Theo smirked at him, like he just _knew_ what Stiles had been rambling about on the phone.

“Theo, please, calm down…” Liam moaned, eyeing some people who were crossing the street not _that_ far from them. It probably looked like the were about to have sex, right there on the pavement and, truth be told, if that’s all it looked like, then Liam could live with it. Liam blinked his eyes a few times, feeling his wolf subduing to the pleasure of Theo’s attention, the way the Chimera held him, kissed him, biting back the whine his wolf wanted to let out, holding on to the human in him as hard as he could as Theo kept attacking his skin “Please, please, it’s okay now, let’s just go home”

“You smell like _him”_ Theo growled, hands gripping the truck. Liam snapped his head back when he heard the metal bending under Theo’s fingers, the wolf tugging at his hands, but it was of no use. Theo glued himself to Liam however he could, nose buried into his hairline “I can deal with a hug or some shit like that, but not when you reek of fear and desperation and… and fucking arousal!”

“Arousal? I wasn’t turned _on_ by what he was doing, Theo” Liam spoke, hands coming to hold Theo’s face, the Chimera growling at the words. Liam just couldn’t believe they were having this discussion.

 _“His_ arousal, Liam” Theo spoke through gritted teeth, eyes flashing yellow for a second before the Chimera closed them, looking down. Theo didn’t want Liam to see him like this, so close to losing it completely “You smell like him _all over”_

Liam’s hands were moving before his brain could even catch up to what he was doing. Liam pulled Theo to the other side of the truck, letting the car work to hide them from whatever people were on the street. Liam let his back rest against the truck, blowing the hair out of his eyes as he undid Theo’s fly, the Chimera standing so close to him Liam could barely think at this point, his wolf desperate to surrender.

“What are you doing?” Theo whispered with his lips back on Liam’s neck, the two of them looking down as Liam grabbed Theo’s dick and started working to get him hard. Theo snarled, lip curling over canines that threatened to go down. He wasn’t in a place he could think about having sex, despite how fucking tight Liam squeezed his cock.

“Probably the strangest thing I’ve ever done outside of our bedroom, but hey, anything to stop you from killing someone tonight” Liam spit on his hand so he wouldn’t be too rough on the Chimera, pulling Theo closer into a kiss as the Chimera moaned, hands on the truck again. Theo tried giving in, tried relaxing, trusting Liam, but his Chimera was on high alert, his neck snapping, eyes all around them, nostrils flaring to make sure no one was even within a 2 mile radius from them.

It took some time for Theo to get hard, his mind racing and his body unable to relax, despite this being Liam. Liam was relentless, working his cock until it was shining from spit, red and ready to burst, the Chimera’s hips fucking against his tight, closed fist, moaning against his skin. Theo growled, jaw snapping as his fangs went down, tongue tasting blood from where his teeth had sunk into his lip.

“I have no idea what you’re trying to do here, but it’s not working, baby” Theo spoke, eyes yellow as he hid his face against Liam’s throat. Liam closed his eyes, hoping this would work. Theo was close, hands nowhere near Liam he was so afraid of losing control “This isn’t about me, the more you move, the more I smell _him_ on you… _fuck!”_

Then Theo came, and Liam gasped, hand at the head to try and grab as much of the cum as he could with Theo spasming in front of him, the orgasm strong, despite the stupid amount of time it had taken to rip it out of him. And Theo just couldn’t believe what Liam was doing with it. _With his cum._

Liam smeared his cum all over his chest, hand going all the way up to his nape, taking his time there. Theo panted, eyes never missing a movement from Liam as the wolf milked him further with his free hand, spreading the cum over his abs and pectorals, over hard nipples and belly button with the other. Liam smiled, head thrown back as he inhaled deeply, eyes flashing a bright yellow as he looked back at Theo.

And just like that the Chimera settled, relaxed, calm, _quiet_ , purring and whining like a fucking _puppy._ And his legs nearly gave in at the sight in front of him.

“Did it work?” Theo nodded, eyes closing as Liam pulled him in. Liam smelled like him, not even a single inch of his skin smelled like the man who had dared to touch him not _ten_ freaking minutes before. And Theo moaned, tongue lavishing the skin of Liam’s neck and chest, breathing the wolf in, now that he could think straight, tasting nothing but himself on his skin and _fuck,_ did Theo _love_ it.

“Did you really just…?” Theo’s mind still hadn’t been able to fully grasp what had happened. He understood it, had _seen_ it happening, but found himself still looking dumbly at the wolf. All he knew was that he liked it, liked that Liam smelled like him, so completely, down to his pores.

“It was the fastest way I could think of” Liam spoke, relaxing against the truck now that Theo was acting more like himself, the Chimera’s warmth working to relax his body. Liam smiled, biting his lip at the completely worshipping look he found on Theo’s eyes “Don’t act like you don’t like it”

“Like it? Baby, I…” Theo laughed, hand on the back of Liam’s neck, fingers brushing the strands of the wolf’s grown out hair “Baby, I love it when you smell like me, but this? This is something completely different, it’s…” Liam smiled, never having seen Theo speechless before. Theo had a thing with words, they came easily to him with a snap of his fingers, but Liam’s actions had clearly stripped him of his vocabulary, his mind a complete blank “I’m _so_ fucking you when we get home, baby”

 

* * *

 

In those seconds, as Theo slid into him, Liam forgot everything. He forgot about school the next day, he forgot about Lacrosse practice, forgot about another man’s hands on him. All there was was Theo, on top of him on the bed, looking down at him like he was some precious treasure, like Liam was his everything, his sun and stars, Game of Thrones style.

Liam had his legs spread for Theo, the Chimera’s fists against the mattress as he let his hips roll against Liam’s, the wolf’s hands on his waist as Liam pulled him closer, further inside his body. Theo held on to his neck, his chest, hips tortuously, deliciously slow as they rolled, warm cock fucking into Liam, the wolf reaching for any part of Theo he could find.

Then Theo spread his knees wide on the bed, his dick sinking low into Liam, who could only take it. Spread his legs and _take it._ Theo picked up his pace, mouth on his, kissing him, sucking on his tongue as he moaned Liam’s name, like a mantra, a melody that kept him grounded. Their bodies slammed together, Theo’s cock making the most sinful noises inside Liam’s tight hole.

Thank fucking God for werewolf healing.

Theo held Liam’s legs by the back of his knees, the wolf moaning so loud he would normally be ashamed of himself, but not today. Not with Theo pounding into him, not with Theo moaning like that. There were beads of sweat forming on Theo’s forehead, dripping down the side of his neck and Liam’s mouth watered, wanting to taste it, taste the Chimera like never before, whimpering low in his throat.

“Fuck, baby” Theo whispered, eyes shut tight as his abs flexed with every movement of his hips, his hands squeezing Liam’s thighs, leaving prints behind that were gone not even three seconds later.

“You feel so fucking good, Theo” The Chimera smiled, eyes opening to look at Liam, open like that for him and he knew, deep inside his being, he would kill anyone for Liam. Theo would risk exposure, he’d move to another continent, if he had to. Liam was his, simple like that. Theo let go of Liam’s legs, sinking low against his body to kiss the wolf, hips rolling that much stronger against each other in the most delicious of rhythms as they moaned in between kisses, breathing the same air.

“Yeah?” Theo moaned, licking his way slowly, teasingly into Liam’s mouth, pulling at his bottom lip.

“Fuck… yeah, Theo, so good...” Liam moaned, hands on Theo’s back as the Chimera pulled away a bit, the two of them moaning shamelessly at how much _deeper_ Theo could go on his hands and knees. Liam pulled him down for another kiss, hands still on his back, urging him on, spread wide for him, ready to take whatever Theo gave him.

Liam moaned into Theo’s kiss, never wanting it to end, not only the kiss, but the whole moment, that whole night. Theo picked up his pace even more, dick sliding perfectly into him, touching, grinding, pressing, _fucking_ Liam in all the right places. The head of Theo’s cock pressed against his prostate with every thrust of his powerful hips like this, the wolf moaning, desperate to feel it with every beat of his heart.

“Oh, baby… ah…” Theo moaned along with Liam, coming down to lay completely on top of the wolf, hands holding the sides of his face, their lips barely parting now. They kissed every couple of seconds, little moans and screams being ripped from Liam as Theo fucked him just the way the Chimera knew he liked it.

Theo pulled away, bringing Liam’s legs under his arms as he pounded into his ass again, opening Liam up and slowing down enough to be able to kiss the wolf. Liam moaned, hands gripping Theo’s arms, toes curling as he relaxed, mind foggy from pleasure. His body hated all the sudden changes in speed, but he loved that Theo wanted to make it last, wanted to drag this out as much as possible. _All_ there was was Theo, on top of him, in him, all around him. It was Heaven, he was sure.

Theo held the back of his neck, their foreheads rested together as they kissed and moaned, hips slamming together. Theo’s larger body pressing Liam into the mattress, pinning the wolf down, his eyes never leaving his.

“Fuck, baby, yeah…” Theo moaned, kissing Liam, swallowing the wolf’s moans and whimpers “I’m gonna cum, Liam… Fuck, I’m gonna cum, do you want it, baby?”

“Yeah… I do, please” Liam answered, legs coming to wrap around Theo’s waist, who growled from deep inside his chest at how much deeper he slid at that “Yeah, give it to me, Theo, _fuck yeah”_

“Yeah? Yeah, baby?”

Liam nodded, greedily accepting Theo’s kiss as he passed his arms around the Chimera’s large back, hugging him tight. Theo did the same, hugging Liam as best as he could, his hips never slowing down. Theo moaned loudly, head thrown back as he came, dick almost shaking as it throbbed inside Liam.

“Fuck, Liam...” Theo dragged the vowel of his name, forehead against Liam’s cheek. Liam smiled, hands on Theo’s arms and back as he caressed the Chimera, holding him, hugging him. But Theo was moving before Liam could tell him he didn’t have to keep going, didn’t have to finish him off.

Theo pushed him to lay on his side, the Chimera’s hand positioning his left leg just how he wanted it before popping the head of his dick inside.

“Oh, _fuck…”_ Liam moaned, eyes shut tight and jaw slack as he felt the head push past his rim, fucking slowly into him at a new angle, against his insides, unlike anything he had ever felt before. They had tried this position before, but something about it all, about Theo not slowing down, about the Chimera’s devotion and possessiveness towards him made Liam feel like his wolf was ready to take over.

“Oh, baby” Theo reached for the side of his face, snuggling closer to pull Liam in for a kiss, despite the distance between their mouths now, despite the strange angle. Liam grabbed his arm, squeezing him, Theo rocking their hips together, leaving them both breathless in the best way possible.

They both screamed when Theo’s cock slid all the way in in one smooth thrust, pushing into Liam’s body, a delicious intrusion, a wanted and welcomed intrusion. Liam passed an arm around the back of Theo’s waist, the Chimera pulling him in as they rocked together, rolling their hips against each other, kissing, ignoring how their necks complained.

“Fuck, you feel so good” Theo moaned, a smirk on his lips as he placed his feet on the bed, hands holding Liam’s face, fucking into him slowly. Theo loved watching Liam’s face while they fucked, how his handsome features got all beautifully contorted in utter pleasure, the pleasure Theo was giving him “I love you, Liam, fuck!”

Liam bit his bottom lip, smiling. He couldn’t say it back, through, didn’t have the chance. Theo grabbed his waist, his hips picking up speed as he moaned. Theo’s other arm slid under Liam’s head to serve him as a pillow, the wolf reaching for his hand, intertwining their fingers. Liam screamed at how warm Theo felt, burning him from the inside out. And fuck, how he begged for it.

“Oh… my God…” Liam moaned, eyes rolling to the back of his head when Theo held his leg up, giving his cock more room to fuck into his ass. Liam bit the side of Theo’s hand, the Chimera moaning against him, the sound travelling through his body all the way to Liam’s.

Liam smiled, lost in his haze when Theo passed his arm around his torso, pulling him close, moaning his name, _screaming_ his name even, squeezing his waist, his thigh, cock on fire as he pushed into Liam. Theo squeezed his hand even more, their fingers never letting go of each other as Liam dug his other hand into Theo’s ass, urging him on. Theo couldn’t focus on only one part of Liam, needing to be in constant contact with the wolf.

“You’re mine, baby” Theo moaned around the words, large body all over Liam, drowning him, suffocating him and it _finally_ felt like Liam could breathe “You’re mine, Liam, all mine…”

“All yours, Theo, completely and utterly _yours”_ Liam moaned, head thrown against Theo’s chest as he felt Theo spasming against his back, the Chimera’s dick so engorged inside him he thought Theo was going to cum again, but he didn’t.

“On your hands and knees for me, baby, come on” Theo whispered, cock free from the vine grip of Liam’s ass as they both hissed at the loss. Liam let Theo manhandle him into whatever position he wanted, knowing he’d never be hurt with Theo, feeling safe on that bed, on that mattress, more than anywhere else in his life, on this Earth.

Liam felt the air getting knocked right out of his lungs as Theo held his shoulders, his cock a fucking hot spear coming right inside his body. And he loved it, loved the way Theo squeezed him, loved the way Theo tried getting more of it instantly, shoving deeper, pulling Liam back against him, loved how Theo moaned and almost passed right out as he slid inside of him.

“I love you… Fuck, Theo” Theo chuckled against his neck, inhaling his scent deeply and humming happily as he glued his chest to Liam’s back, hands on the bed as he let Liam kiss him, cock sliding in and out of his delicious body.

“I love you, baby” Theo let his hand find Liam’s cock, fisting it and immediately getting started on jerking the wolf off along with his thrusts. Liam’s body shook from pleasure, almost like a seizure, his forehead against the mattress to give Theo better access to the deepest parts of him “Yeah, baby, just like that…”

But Theo wanted to go faster. He passed his arm in front of Liam’s chest, pulling him back up as he fucked into the wolf. Liam’s hand came to hold his shoulder, pulling Theo closer, his long hair bouncing as their bodies moved together.

“Oh, fuck, baby” Theo moaned into his nape and Liam whimpered, his wolf _begging_ to be bitten, wanting nothing more than to erase all the doubts that had been floating around his Chimera’s mind. All Liam wanted was for Theo to sink his teeth into him, let it work to get everything and everyone out of the Chimera’s mind, focus him on Liam. They had bitten each other before, softly or roughly, they knew what kind of reaction they got out of each other, their bodies growing hotter, dicks getting harder. Liam had even orgasmed once, simply because Theo had edged him, then bitten him, at the base of his throat.

But it wasn’t something Theo craved or even felt as aroused by as Liam. Theo had never let Liam do it either and Liam suspected someone had done it to him already, had hurt him with their fangs and, despite trusting Liam with his life, that wasn’t something he was ready to work on just yet. But Liam needed it. And he needed it _now._ Needed Theo to see _no one_ else could ever do this to him.

Theo held onto Liam’s hips, fucking into him even faster. Liam’s eyes rolled back, the Chimera pulling him back against his own thrusts, kissing his shoulder blades, moaning into his skin.

It was getting too much for Liam, the constant dragging of Theo’s cock inside him, the man moaning into his ear, his large, warm body pounding into him, keeping him safe, lips on his skin and soft, naughty, _naughty_ words being whispered into his ear. It was getting too _fucking_ much.

Then Theo was cumming, forehead against Liam’s back as he pounded, knees on the bed, using his hands to pull Liam’s body back to meet his relentless thrusts. And Liam moaned, his toes curling as he felt the cum pooling inside himself. His hand immediately went to rest on his stomach, feeling the warmth inside his body as Theo whimpered, panting.

“Fuck, baby, I’m still so hard” Theo chuckled, teeth softly, _barely_ grazing the skin of Liam’s shoulder. And Liam fucking shook under him, hips fucking back into Theo’s dick, neck bared for the Chimera “You want this, baby? Want me to bite you?” Theo teased, hands gripping Liam’s hips hard.

 _“Yes,_ Theo, my nape” Liam moaned, biting his lip as Theo pulled him even closer, hands climbing to his chest “I need you to bite me, Theo”

Theo smiled, hand curling around Liam’s cock again as he sunk his elongated canines into the back of Liam’s neck, the wolf roaring under him, every powerful muscle in his body tensing as his wolf shook from pleasure. A werewolf’s roar was different from a Chimera’s. It was deeper, louder, much easier to control, since it was natural of them. But Liam had _absolutely_ no control over it now, as his body shivered, neck in place as Theo sunk his teeth deep, holding him.

“Theo… _Theo”_

Liam moaned Theo’s name over and over, body relaxing slowly as he let the Chimera hold him upright. Pleasure ran through Liam’s vein as Theo’s worked his cock, fisting the base for a few moments before giving all his attention to the head, keeping it tucked safe in between his thumb and index finger.

When Liam came and his body spasmed as he orgasmed, Theo moved with him, feeling his Chimera going under this haze as his fangs kept closed tight around Liam’s neck. He had never understood what it was about it that could be appealing to Liam, but now he kind of did. It was intimate and extremely sexy, something probably only werewolves and chimeras could experience. Theo knew he could never experience this, bare himself, _open_ himself like this. It was a kind of vulnerability his Chimera could never allow himself to show, not even to Liam, who had already seen him at his worst. And hadn’t run for the hills.

It was easy for Theo to ignore the coppery taste of blood of his tongue, since all he could think of and smell was Liam, their cum mixed on the bed and how fucking _happy_ Liam was, relaxed and whimpering softly against Theo’s body. Liam healed not a moment after the first bite, the wound only reopening after long 8 minutes passed, when Theo had the courage to get his teeth out of Liam. Theo licked the four large drops of blood clean, Liam squeezing him in any way that he could as he moaned softly as his tongue roughly grazed the incisions.

By the time they fell on the bed, they were both almost passed out. Theo knew they’d talk the following day. They simply reached for each other, Theo pulling the blanket over their bodies as Liam rested his head on the Chimera’s chest, already asleep by the time Theo was done throwing the extra pillows to the floor, making the wolf comfortable against his favorite one, not only his chest. Theo hugged his back, pulling him close as he kept a protective, warm arm around Liam.

Every cell in Liam’s body and wolf smelled like Theo and the Chimera could only sleep, satiated, wishing every single person on the planet could smell just how fucking unbelievably good Liam smelled in that very moment.

_'You are a dangerous collection_

_of all my favorite things._

 

_An old soul,_

_a heart of gold_

_and hands that make my body sing'_

_-Nikita Gill, A Dangerous Colletion_

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Okay, everyone! Here I am, back with my sexy scenes. Hope you guys liked this chapter. 
> 
> I see some hurt/past traumas/trust issues/fix-it up ahead, for chapter 12, nothing too serious, though it'll get us started on our ending, so to speak. I still haven't come up with a way to end this story, I'm just not ready yet, I guess.
> 
> Let me know what you thought, okay? And if there is anything you'd like to see!


	12. Kickstarted Back to Life

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> This is kind of a Part One (?)...

_'"I hope you are loved in the way you deserve"_

_Depending on who you are_

_and what you have done,_

_those words could be the kindest wish_

_or the worst curse'_

_-Nikita Gill, The Way You Deserve_

 

Theo woke up at 4 a.m, his body shaking from the force of his nightmare. He reached for the space next to him, whimpering when he found Liam pressed tight into his side, the wolf’s arm thrown over his waist, head tucked safe into his armpit. They had barely moved all night and Theo knew they only had another hour and a half or so before Liam had to be up for his first class. Theo stared up at the ceiling, willing Liam to move closer and rest his head on his chest, the wolf sighing and passing his leg on top of Theo’s, hugging him tight for a second before relaxing again.

Normally Liam would be already up, hands on his cheeks to get the nightmare out of his mind, talking to Theo, kissing him, but, considering how tired Theo _knew_ Liam had to be, the Chimera was somewhat thankful he hadn’t startled the wolf awake, instead simply pulling him closer, nose buried into the strands of his hair. Theo urged himself to relax, knowing he wouldn’t go back to sleep, he never did whenever he had a nightmare. His body was still tense, but he focused until his heart slowed down considerably, the white walls of their bedroom not seeming like they were closing in on him. He counted Liam's breaths, letting his mind take him back to some other time, some other memory of them.

And despite Liam going all those extra miles to keep him controlled, prove to both his human and supernatural sides that nothing had changed between them, there was just so much sex could do. That kind of jealousy wasn’t something Theo wasn’t acquainted with. He had felt it before, the pulling of his heartstrings, the tunnel vision. He had felt it towards the wolf, back when Liam still wasn’t his, when all Theo could do was _dream_ of sleeping on the same bed as him. But it had never been _that bad,_ after they got together. Obviously, jealousy was healthy, up to a certain point, in a relationship. It kept things spicy, Theo liked to think. But not when Theo was this close to snapping that motherfucker’s neck.

Liam had his days too. After telling Theo there had been plenty of times he had seen people looking at Theo _like that,_ though no one hit on him,  Liam had been more vocal about those moments, being more… _hands on._ And Theo lived for those moments, those touches. Liam never touched him like that when they weren’t locked away in the secrecy of their own home and Theo _was_ fine with it, but it had brought a lightning bold kind of feeling rushing through his body to sense just how stupidly _jealous_ Liam could get. Liam would hold his hand, kiss his neck, brush his fingers through his hair, always with that spark in his eyes that made Theo want to fall to his knees and  _beg._

And it felt amazing to relax against him, after everything that had happened the night before. But Theo knew they couldn’t stay in bed forever, _he_ couldn’t stay in bed forever, no matter how inviting Liam's warmth was. So Theo stood, making his way to the bathroom after giving his pillow for Liam to hug, fingers going through the wolf’s hair softly. Liam sighed, mumbling Theo’s name in his sleep as he hugged the pillow to his chest, the Chimera smiling down at him.

It was physically painful to walk away from the bed and Theo had to breathe deeply a couple of times, doing his best not to just slide back into bed, knowing it’d get better eventually. Theo cleaned himself a bit with a towel, free hand gripping the sink tightly, eyes on Liam through the mirror before sighing, quietly putting Liam’s phone and laptop to charge, wanting to make sure there would be no surprises and hiccups on his first day. Liam tended to forget those little things and Theo had long ago made it his business to ensure they were done in time.

If there was one thing Theo was good at was being silent, turning on the tv on the local morning news on the minimum volume and getting started on their day, after closing the door to their bedroom to let Liam sleep through those last few minutes. He didn’t have school yet, only work in the afternoon, but he was going to make good use of this free time. School wouldn’t start for another week, so Theo wanted to help Liam adapt and settle in as much as possible now, knowing the wolf would do the same for him. It was the first time they'd face school alone in two years and Theo wasn't particularly looking forward to  _that_ part.

With Liam’s steady heart a constant, distant sound in the bedroom, Theo did some things around the apartment, like bring their mail in, open the newspapers and magazines. Theo flashed his eyes at their neighbour’s cat, smirking down at it. Liam had the most trouble with cats, being a full werewolf and all, but it didn’t mean they all liked Theo either. The grayish cat wiggled its long, fluffy tail, brushing its fur against Theo’s sweatpants before running back towards the other end of the hall.

He checked his phone once he was back inside, finding a missed call from Scott. Theo groaned, shoulders already tense. Theo didn’t feel like dealing with any of it, whatever it was, but if Scott had called him, it meant he had called Liam first. And Liam would obviously tell his Alpha everything that had happened and that would only cause chaos, Theo could already tell, knowing Scott.

“Hey, Scott, it’s almost 5 in the morning here in Massachusetts, Liam’s still in bed” Theo decided on leaving a voicemail, since it was the best way to settle all of Scott’s worries regarding Liam “Sorry we didn’t pick up the phone last night, Liam had this freshmen welcome party and he asked me to go with him. Anyway, we got home pretty late and went straight to bed. Give him a call around seven, before he leaves for his first class or around one, during his lunch break, alright? Hope you and Malia are okay”

Well, it wasn’t _exactly_ a lie. There were things Scott didn’t have to know. Theo was just thankful he had mastered the art of controlling his heart rate, even from a True Alpha, who could probably pick up on any change, even through the phone. At 5 a.m. sharp Theo got started on making Liam breakfast. He knew he had gone extremely rough on the boy the night before and he wanted Liam to rest for as long as he possibly could, his need to provide and to care for him flaring up as time ticked by. It calmed Theo, knowing he was doing it for Liam.

Theo sliced some strawberries, putting slices of bread on the toaster. He got the breakfast tray Liam had insisted on buying, thankful that they had one now. He got out Liam’s favorite strawberry jam, setting a plate and a knife, along with Liam's favorite mug and the strawberries on the tray as he waited for the bread and the coffee to get ready. Theo rested against the kitchen counter, eyes on the news as he heard Liam mumbling in his sleep. It only happened when he was close to waking up and most time Theo couldn't make out anything that was remotely coherent, but for some reason, all Liam spoke was his name. And it made Theo smile.

He set the tray down as he walked into the room, walking up to Liam’s bedside table and turning off his alarm clock. Theo smiled, letting his fingers brush slightly against Liam’s arm, going up and down his smooth, porcelain skin. Liam mumbled, turning in the direction of the touch, his other hand coming to hold Theo’s in place, sighing.

“Baby? You have your first day of school today” Theo watched as Liam’s beautiful blue eyes blinked to look at him, sleepy and absolutely gorgeous “It’s just barely past 5, you got plenty of time” Liam smiled, squeezing Theo’s hand before the Chimera stood, walking back to where he had left the tray.

“Theo…” Liam pushed himself to a sitting position on the bed, resting against his pillows as he covered his mouth, eyes fixed on the tray of food Theo had prepared with all the things he liked. Theo shrugged, being careful not to spill any of the coffee.

“I’m sorry I reacted the way I did last night” Theo whispered, sitting slowly by the foot of the bed after placing the tray close to Liam. But Liam didn’t look at it, instead reaching for the Chimera’s hand “I’m sorry I was so rough, I completely fucking lost it”

“It was the best night of my _life,_ Theo” Liam whispered, eyes locked with Theo’s as his thumb brushed over the Chimera’ knuckles, squeezing his hand “It’s _always_ the best night of my life when I’m with you”

“You’ve only ever _had_ me, baby” Theo spoke, a teasing tone to his voice, as he let himself fall flat on his back, pushing the tray slowly towards Liam, indicating he should eat before his coffee ran cold. Liam rolled his eyes, smiling.

“I stand by what I said” Liam spoke, reaching for the mug, moaning at how warm it felt against his skin, picking a slice of the red fruit and popping it into his mouth “Besides, I will never hold what happened last night against you, how you reacted to… to _him,_  you know I wouldn't”

“It wasn’t even what he did, the touching itself, I guess I can say that for sure now” Theo spoke, hand absentmindedly reaching for Liam’s ankle, eyes on the ceiling, his other arm under his head, feet still on the floor. Liam smiled at the touch, chewing on his toast “It was how you smelled, the fear, the… the desperation of not being able to rely on the wolf because there were so many people around. I dropped the cup I was filling, pushed by people to get back to you, feeling myself drift the closer I got”

Of course Theo knew exactly how he had felt, using the perfect words to describe it. Liam caressed Theo’s arm, the Chimera sighing, eyes still on the ceiling as his fingers closed around Liam’s strong calf, squeezing it softly. 

“I couldn’t help it, I guess” Liam spoke, licking his fingers clean from the jam, finishing the last bite of his toast “But I couldn’t risk exposing us either, didn’t want to scare you into doing what you probably would have if it all had dragged for another five seconds”

“I got pretty close with my little stunt on the street” Theo sighed, reaching into the pocket of his sweats, pulling his phone out and typing a note into it, setting an alarm in case he forgot to check “Which reminds me, I gotta fix the truck”

Liam smiled, taking another large gulp of his coffee. He looked down at the tray, hand reaching for Theo’s, the Chimera turning to look at him, eyebrows inquisitive as he let his phone fall to his chest.

“Have you eaten already? Because this isn’t food for two” Liam joked, a smile on his lips as he watched Theo huff, biting his bottom lip "Maybe I'm just too hungry"

“Nah, I’ll still go for a run before having breakfast” Theo spoke, watching with a smile Liam eat a strawberry, the wolf likcing his lips clean after “I just wanted to do this for you”

“I could get used to waking up to this, you know?” Liam spoke, finishing his coffee and toast before pushing the tray away. He watched as Theo smirked, lifting himself from the bed to crawl towards the wolf, phone forgotten once more “You _definitely_ shouldn’t spoil me this much”

Theo had his eyes on Liam’s lips, eyelids half closed as he stared at them. His hands were fisted on the mattress as Liam brought him down for a kiss, his tongue tasting of strawberries and coffee, so very _Liam._ Liam’s leg passed on top of his on the bed, circling his waist. Theo chuckled into the kiss, his hands sliding up Liam’s back as he opened his lips to let the wolf in, pulling them up as he set on the edge of the bed, Liam straddled on his lap.

Liam gasped, hand on the back of Theo’s neck, not even opening his eyes, fingers fisting the Chimera’s hair. Theo growled at the pull, pulling Liam in for another kiss. Liam smiled, arm passing around Theo’s shoulders, hugging the Chimera tightly.

“Finish your breakfast, Liam, then shower” Liam whimpered, pulling away from the kiss, their wet lips making the most delicious sounds. Liam’s hands were on Theo’s shoulders, holding the Chimera exactly where he was, his mouth devouring Theo’s like he had been hungry for him, like he had been forced to spend centuries without him “Baby…” Theo moaned, barely sucking in a breath before Liam resumed his attack on his mouth.

“Theo…” Liam whimpered again when he squeezed his knees, that were on either side of Theo’s waist, even more, slouching into his embrace, thankful for the arms around his shoulders. Theo moaned, eyes closing as he bit his lip, giving Liam more space as the wolf kissed down his neck. Theo sighed, the smell of arousal thick in the room as he let his hands roam Liam’s naked body.

But there was something wrong. There was something… _off._ The room didn’t only smell of arousal and of all the sex they had had the night before. Theo opened his eyes, sniffing the air around them as he chased the scent, hands stilling on Liam’s waist as he saw the wolf’s pillow, the very same he always used, reaching for the back of his neck immediately, eyes wide in terror.

“Mmmm, _yes”_ Liam moaned at the contact with his nape, hips rolling against Theo’s soft sweatpants. Theo snarled, fangs not all the way down as his top lip curled in warning. He wasn’t fooling around, not anymore. Theo kept his eyes on the pillow as he pushed Liam away from his body, getting the wolf to do as he wanted, growling when Liam whined, wanting to continue his ministrations.

Liam didn’t understand why the sudden rush, why Theo’s eyes were wide like that, his fingers shaking as he gripped his arms tight. Liam whined louder, but it didn’t work, not this time. Theo had his sight fixed somewhere else and it was obvious Liam no longer had his attention.

“Liam, let me see your _fucking_ neck” Theo spoke, his words and voice sharp like metal, unforgiving. Liam rested his forehead against Theo’s shoulder, recognizing it was worry that laced the Chimera’s every word, panic bubbling up inside his chest, behind the sudden rush of anger.

And that anger was directed at himself. Theo had never been angry at _Liam._ Sure, they had their heated moments, had argued in the past, but there was never anger involved, not after their first kiss, all those years ago. They had gone through too much shit to risk losing each other to stupid feelings such as anger or mistrust. They were past that. But Liam whimpered into Theo’s chest, hands on the Chimera’s back as he did his best to make him relax, the stiffness of his back and chest just like when Theo had told him about his sister. It was _that_ kind of anger. Whatever Theo thought was wrong with Liam’s neck, Theo thought it was _his_ fault.

But there was nothing there. Well, there were four red, pinkish dots on Liam’s skin, but nothing else. Nothing. There were no slashes, no cuts, nothing like what Theo’s brain had come up with in those few seconds. Theo’s hands squeezed Liam’s waist once more, the wolf responding in equal measure, softly kissing his shoulder, still not understanding, but knowing there was something wrong.

Theo breathed out, doing his best to ignore the fact that their room now only smelled of worry, anger and fear. And none of those things came from Liam. Theo tried relaxing again, his arms sliding up Liam’s back, tightly hugging the wolf, Liam returning the hug. Theo immediately reached for the pillow, throwing it on the floor near the door, wanting nothing more than to throw it away as soon as _fucking_ possible.

“I’m _never_ fucking biting you again” Theo growled through the words, unable to look away from the pillow on the floor “Do you hear me? _Fucking never!"_

“What? Why not?” Liam asked, whining as he hugged himself completely to Theo’s body. Theo used his chin to gesture the pillow on the floor, brows frowned as he stared at it. It _burned_ his eyes to look at it, the _blood_ from when Liam had lied on it the night before “Theo, it healed” Liam reached for his own neck, whimpering as soon as he did it. It wasn’t as good as when Theo did it to him, when he _trusted_ the Chimera to do it to him, but it shot through his body anyway. Theo squeezed his waist, watching the wolf as his hand fell back against his chest, palm against his beating heart “Theo, it felt so _good_ when you bit me, couldn’t you see it, _smell it?”_ Liam whimpered, hand on the back of Theo’s neck to pull him in for a kiss. Theo growled, pulling away not a moment later. Liam held him close, not letting him go very far “When you bit me it felt like I was using my lungs for the first time yesterday, Theo. Before the first time you bit me, it was all amazing, don’t get me wrong, you are  _always_ amazing, you _know_ that. But it’s me _trusting_ you to know how deep to go, how exactly to drive me insane like that, it’s me on the palm of your hand and _not_ feeling _suffocated_ and fragile, not feeling scared that does it for me, not the biting itself. Can you understand that? It’s _you, Theo_ , _you_ do that to me”

Theo closed his eyes, knowing he couldn’t _possibly_ hurt Liam, his body healed much too fast for something as insignificant as a bite to actually hurt him. Theo could still remember the skin tightening around his fangs, starting the healing process around them mere seconds later. But it still worked as fuel for his demons, his hands shaking as they moved from Liam’s waist to fist the blanket he was sitting on, something Liam didn’t miss.

Liam sensed the desperation coming from Theo, the Chimera inhaling deeply, trying to control himself. Liam knew he could never do this to Theo, could never be the reason Theo suffered like this. He couldn't stand back and just watch.

“Theo, look at me, please, I promise, I _swear_ I’ll never ask you to do it again, okay? I don’t want you to think you’re hurting me in any way, not when you’re the _best_ thing that’s ever happened to me” Liam used his fingers to hold Theo’s chin, making the Chimera look up at him. Theo blinked his eyes open slowly, doing his best to keep his claws from digging into the mattress. The smell of the blood was still making him dangerously sloppy when it came to his control and he couldn’t risk it, not when it was clear Liam had no intentions of moving away from his lap.

“It felt good for me too, Liam, in that very moment, seeing that I could do that you” Theo spoke, eyes glued to Liam’s “But I _can’t_ make you fucking _bleed,_ Liam, I just can’t. I’ve made so many people bleed, _fuck,_ I thought I was over this…” Theo cursed, eyes shutting again as he hung his head, handsome face in a frown as he started to move, desperate to get Liam away from him before his Chimera took over.

He had lost control once before, after the whole ‘I can’t believe you left me’ fiasco in the woods. And he had stayed, like he promised he would. He curled up in the corner of their room and snarled for twenty minutes as Liam just knelt there, talking to him, never trying to come closer, just talking. Theo had fought every instinct telling him to run and yet had stayed and part of what had made him shift back into control was how happy Liam had been that Theo had tried.

But this was too much. He wasn’t going to leave, he could never break  _that_ promise, but he needed _space,_ needed to clear his head. That pillow needed to _not_ be the only thing his mind seemed to be able to focus on. _You hurt him. You fucking hurt him. You fucking did it, Theo._

“Will you let me show you how good it feels? For real this time?” Theo arched his brows, pulling away from Liam’s hands to look at the wolf with all the surprise he clearly felt.

“What?” He whispered, shock dripping from his voice, from that simple word as he stared into Liam’s blue eyes, the wolf holding him tight, keeping him warm with gentle hands and soft looks.

“Theo, you trusted me to tell me about your sister, to cry in front of me, to let me hold you as you sleep at night, to tell me about your nightmares, to wake you up when you had them, to celebrate our birthdays and anniversaries, to move in together, to fight by your side” Liam smiled, hands going through Theo’s hair exactly how the wolf knew he liked it “Trust me to prove to you how fucking _amazing_ you made me feel last night, how you make me feel  _every_ night”

Theo trusted Liam, that was something he had already made his peace with. Had trusted him millions of times before, he could admit to that. He really could. And Liam sounded so good, pleading, begging, whispering against his mouth softly, his lips wet on the Chimera's, even pecking his lips once, then twice. So it wasn’t really that much of a surprise when Theo breathlessly nodded, a smile _devilishly_ spreading itself across Liam’s handsome face.

Liam’s hand rose to the back of his neck, holding him in place as long, sharp, _thick_ fangs sunk into Theo’s flesh, right where his neck and shoulder met.

And it was bliss unlike any other Theo had _ever_ experienced.

Liam was right, it wasn’t the bite itself. It was _Liam,_ doing it to him. Theo immediately felt his body going numb, like every single nerve was overheating, his brain trying to process all of the information and failing miserably to keep up with Liam’s delicious hands on his neck, arm, waist. Liam put him down on the bed slowly, so his fangs wouldn’t move on his neck.

Theo whimpered, the wolf pushing the tray away to have more space on the large bed. The Chimera didn’t even try to protest, just lying there, satiated and satisfied, happy to just be taken care of. Theo felt human, the Chimera dormant somehow. But then, in a split second, his body was kickstarted back to life and he was feeling _everything,_ every touch from Liam’s hand, how the wolf teased his exposed nipples, traced his abs, his _tongue_ on his neck, moving around the space in between the fangs. Liam opened his legs with one of his own and Theo fucking whimpered, eyes on the ceiling, too tired to even close them, feeling overwhelmed by the wolf in the best way possible.

Theo then realized he was hard. Like ‘I haven’t fucked in months and have a serious case of blue balls’ hard. And he whimpered softly, unable to do much else, like his body had forgotten how to move, when Liam’s free hand pushed his sweats down, freeing his cock from its confinement.

“Liam…”

Liam fucking _moaned_ at how Theo breathed out his name and every single muscle in the Chimera’s upper body tingled, shaking as pleasure shot through him. It only made more blood rush down to his already hard dick. Liam passed his palm over the head of his cock, using the precum as lube, since he refused to pull back from the bite to use saliva. This was way too fucking great to cut short.

Theo moaned, hips fucking up into the feeling of Liam’s hand, the gentle tease of his skin. Liam grabbed the back of Theo’s head harder, fingers fisting his hair. Theo then knew he wasn’t going to last long, his cock painfully hard, with Liam biting him, sinking into him so deep.

“Baby…”

Liam whimpered softly in return, tongue lavishing the skin he had trapped in between his fangs and teeth, sinking deeper, his fingers gripping Theo’s cock and getting started on jerking him off, forgetting all about starting slow. Theo moaned, eyes shut tight as he felt the pleasure travel through his body like every inch of his skin was connected, his orgasm escalating like a crescendo, an avalanche.

Liam was relentless, never stopping, not even when Theo fought the tiredness in his body and wrapped lazily an arm around the wolf’s back, panting like it had been difficult as moving a mountain, pulling Liam closer as best as he could. Liam moaned even more into his strong bite, palm caressing the head of his cock as his moved his hand in circular motions. Theo moaned when Liam squeezed him all the way to the base, a tad too dry for his liking, but _fuck,_ it made Theo see stars. In a really fucking amazing way.

“Liam, _baby,_ keep going… don't stop...”

Liam groaned, pressing harder into the bite as he jerked his hand faster and it was enough. It was enough for Theo to cum all over Liam’s hand and himself, his hips rolling as he curved his body around Liam despite the numbness in his body, the orgasm giving him a rush of energy that dissipated not a moment later, the wolf moving so he wouldn’t break the bite.

It took Theo way longer than usual to calm down and he nearly cried out when Liam retreated his fangs slowly from his skin, the wolf moving away to admire his work. Liam only smiled when Theo complained, kissing the Chimera’s chest and reaching for the napkins Theo had set in the breakfast tray to clean him, pulling his sweats back up gently.

Liam knew very well what Theo was feeling, the overwhelming afterglow of it all. Theo blinked his eyes, doing his very best to fight the sleep that kept washing over him, trying to find Liam through the haze that was his fogged up mind.

“Baby…”

“Don’t fight it, Theo” Liam whispered, kissing Theo’s cheek before moving to stand back up, setting a pillow under the Chimera’s neck, who hissed softly as it moved the area Liam had bit “Crap, I gotta get in the shower, you sleep now, okay?”

Liam turned to Theo when the Chimera tried grabbing his arm, though his eyes were already closed. Liam brushed the Chimera’s hair out of his eyes, whispering to him. Liam crouched down beside the bed, hand setting Theo’s arm back down as the Chimera finally gave in to sleep.

“I know it’s not easy to give up control like that, but no harm will ever come to you while I’m here, _never_ with me, Theo” Liam kissed the corner of Theo’s mouth, the Chimera lazily trying to chase after him until Liam gave him a proper kiss, smiling down at the Chimera “Sleep, I’ll wake you up before I leave, okay? We’ll talk tonight”

 

* * *

 

But Theo was already up by the time Liam came out of his shower, the Chimera rushing into his arms. Liam smiled, pulling him in for a kiss, hugging him back. Theo’s hands traveled his body, almost as if he couldn’t believe nothing bad had happened to him in the twenty minutes he allowed his body to shut down and just bask in the mindblowing pleasure Liam had given him.

“Are you okay?” Liam whispered once Theo settled, smelling him, hands holding his towel. Liam's eyes rested on the bite he had left, the incisions red and somewhat puffy from how strong Liam had been on him.

“Yeah” Theo opened his eyes, hands coming to hold Liam’s face. Liam touched his other shoulder, Theo moving his head to the side even more so Liam could kiss just beneath the incisions, the Chimera breathing deeply as he did it “I get it, why you like it” Theo spoke, hands coming to hold Liam’s waist.

“I stand by my promise” Liam spoke, holding on to Theo’s arms, squeezing his biceps “I’m so, _so_ happy you let me do it, that you trusted me like that, but I won’t ask you to do it to me or ask you let me do it to you _ever_ again, not after the way you looked at that pillow” Liam spoke, hands coming up to Theo’s hair “Which I already got rid of, by the way”

“I don’t want to deny you something that great, baby, when it clearly gets you all hot and bothered” Theo spoke, moving away to let Liam continue to get ready “I’m not saying I’d say yes to doing it again, but I’m not saying I’d say no either”

“Theo, for the love of God, _you_ get me all hot and bothered, not your teeth in me, isn’t that clear by now?” Liam spoke, pulling on a pair of boxer briefs and dark wash jeans. Theo rested against the door of the closet, eyes on the wolf as he threw the towel around his head and started drying his hair, getting it all messy in the process “It gets me cumming like nothing ever has before, but I don’t need it, don’t even _want_ it, ever again, if it triggers something in you, you should know that by now”

“Should know what? That we’re the world’s most fucked up couple?” Theo spoke, arms crossed across his chest and voice sharp. Liam sighed, walking faster towards Theo when the Chimera's voice started raising “That I can’t give you something that you like because it makes me remember all the shit I’ve done? To you even?!”

“You should know that I’m willing to sacrifice anything for you” Liam spoke, hands on the sides of Theo’s face, voice soft, eyes on the Chimera’s as he made Theo stop talking “We’re fucked up, yes, but we’re here, almost three years later, still working through our shit, one day at a time. You’re everything to me, Theo and I would give up sex completely if you told me you didn’t want to have any anymore”

“What?” Theo blinked at him, throat dry as he stared at Liam, who smiled.

“I’m not with you for the sex or for your six pack, Theo” Liam smiled, reaching for the shirt he had chosen to wear, _Theo’s_ t-shirt, the Chimera noticed, pulling it over his head before brushing the still wet hair away from his eyes “I’m with you for the fuck ups, the ugly crying on bathroom floors and abandonment issues, our no biting, already  _amazing_ sex _and_ your six pack, of course, there’s that too” Liam smiled, wet towel thrown over his shoulder as he stood once more in front of Theo, hand reaching for his jacket “I’m with you for the long run, Theo, one day at a time. So yes, no more biting, starting right about… well, now”

“It shouldn’t have to be like that” Theo whispered, though he was smiling at the wolf, at how sure of his words Liam sounded, how _hot_ he looked in Theo’s purple Pink Floyd t-shirt. Liam obviously still smelled heavensently like Theo, every layer of his skin smelled like the Chimera, from everything they had done already, the sex, the biting. But the shirt was really a nice fucking touch, Theo had to admit.

“But it’s _us_ and I wouldn’t have it any other way” Liam smiled, hand coming to grip at Theo’s hair, pulling the Chimera in for a long, warm kiss. Theo hugged his back, pulling him in, whining when Liam pulled away moments later “I gotta run, thank you for breakfast, for trusting me…” Liam’s lips slid down Theo’s throat, kissing him there softly. Theo’s eyes snapped open, the Chimera moaning against the wall when Liam’s warm tongue licked his bite with one long stroke, nuzzling it gently before pulling away, smiling at how Theo gripped the door, the wood creaking softly “... have a good day at work, okay?” Theo nodded, holding Liam’s cheek.

“Good luck today, baby” Theo panted slightly, smiling at Liam’s nervous expression, the wolf leaning into his touch “Promise you’ll call me if anything happens? During classes or at practice?”

“I swear” Liam kissed Theo once more, moaning into his mouth before he pulled away “I’ll cook dinner tonight, okay?”

“I got that towel…” Theo nodded, grabbing the towel from Liam’s shoulder, smiling into Liam’s kiss again “... team captain”

“Fuck!” Liam covered his mouth, eyes bulging “Why did you have to remind me of that?! Shit, I gotta run, I’ll see you tonight, okay?” Liam spoke, already with both his school and Lacrosse bags thrown over his shoulder, phone and jacket in hand, making his way to the door "I love you"

“Knock ‘em dead, Harvard!”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Part two (kinda) will also be focused on Theo understand what truly trusting Liam does to him, what it means to their relationship, on a physical level. A couple of the scenes on (in? not sure) this chapter and on (in? still not sure) were straight out of my personal experiences, so you can kinda know where my sexy times come from, if you know what I mean :) Won't tell which ones, though *evil laughter in the distance*
> 
> Thanks for reading, guys! Let me know what you think! Know that I appreciate your input and always look for ways to add in your ideas <3 Cause y'all are awesome!


	13. Theo's Heart Had Stopped Beating

_'We have calcium in our bones,_

_iron in our veins,_

_carbon in our souls,_

_and nitrogen in our brains._

_93 percent stardust,_

_with souls made of flames,_

_we are all just stars that have people names'_

_-Nikita Gill, 93 Percent Stardust_

 

Liam had barely closed the door to their apartment before Theo had him pinned against it. Liam dropped his bags to the floor, smiling as he hugged Theo back, the Chimera groaning as he hid his face into his neck, breathing in deeply. It was roughly around 7:30 pm and Theo had barely arrived back home himself, unable to do anything, just waiting and waiting for Liam to arrive home and fucking _tell him._

“Tell me, baby” Liam laughed, head thrown back as he enjoyed Theo kissing and sucking small hickeys into his skin “Tell me everything” Theo pulled away, both his hands on the door to keep Liam trapped against it and his body. Liam smiled, arms around Theo’s shoulders.

“You’re looking at the very first Harvard Freshman to _ever_ make it as Lacrosse team captain” Liam couldn’t hold back the smile that had started taking over his face at _Theo’s_ smile, at how the Chimera’s hands moved back to squeeze his waist, his body, pulling him close “Emphasys on the _ever_ here”

“I fucking knew it, baby” Theo whispered, pulling Liam in for a kiss, the wolf huffing as he tightened his hug on Theo “God, I wish I had been there to see it”

“It was pretty epic, I’m not gonna lie” Liam rolled his own eyes at the memory of everyone baffled at him, except their coach, who was the only one who had already seen him play. He felt sorry for the goalie, who someone had told Liam was supposed to be _the best_ or something like that. Well… oops “They wanted to go celebrate, but I told them we’d have to reschedule”

“Tell me you didn’t ditch them because of me, Liam” Theo spoke, hands back on the door as he glared at Liam, though not like he was actually mad at him. He would always prefer Liam came home to him.

“Of course I did, Theo, I’ll always rather celebrate with you” Theo rolled his eyes, happy to just let Liam pull him closer again by the collar of his navy blue uniform shirt. Liam pulled away though, nose in the air as he sniffed around Theo briefly, frowning “You smell… different”

“Probably because I have already jerked off four times today, last one was right before going to work” Theo smirked at Liam’s shocked expression, fingers on the wolf’s chin, coaxing it closed “Can’t blame me, baby, the things you did to me this morning kept flashing through my mind all day and I just _had_ to take care of myself, since you weren’t here. I tried waiting, I did, but it was too much”

Liam’s mouth opened and closed while his brain tried to think of something to say, Theo’s smug gaze and devilish grin working to get him all blushed and red in the face.

“But four times?” Theo chuckled, forehead on Liam’s shoulder, kissing the wolf’s neck not a moment later.

“I got nothing to defend myself with here, baby, so I’m just gonna go ahead and let you shower, because you stink and I may be proud of you and all and I think it’s so _hot_ when you’re all covered in sweat, but my cock is so spent right now I couldn’t get it up even if I tried”

Liam smiled at the Chimera, rolling his eyes as he walked towards their bedroom, grabbing his bags to stop by the laundry room first.

“I believe all you said, about being proud and thinking I look hot when I play, we’ve had sex to that, but I don’t believe you couldn’t get hard _right now”_ Liam spoke over his shoulder, Theo resting against the door with a smug smile on his face “I’m _sure_ I could get you hard if I wanted you to, make you cum a fifth time” Theo smirked, arms crossing loosely over his chest as he chewed on his thumb, eyes on Liam’s ass.

“Probably could, baby” Theo whispered, knowing very well Liam could hear him “You probably fucking could”

 

* * *

 

Theo’s first day of College gets him really fucking wound up. Liam was surprised to get home before the Chimera, the apartment dead silent still, smelling of the coffee and Pop-Tarts they had had for breakfast that morning. Liam got his clothes to the laundry room, excited to hear all about what Theo would have to say.

He was waiting in the kitchen, drinking one of those post work out, special waters when the Chimera walked in and he looked, well… nothing like Liam expected. Theo walked in, bag in hands and he _sighed,_ as soon as his eyes settled on Liam, an expectant, already watching him Liam

Liam watched, bottle in hand, Theo drop his bag by the couch, dropping his body on it next, exhaling deeply, like he was finally able to relax, for the first time since they both had left that morning.

“So?” Liam spoke, bottle forgotten on the counter as he moved around it, walking quickly and kneeling in front on Theo, whose head was rested on the couch, eyes opening tiredly to look at Liam “Tell me, how was your first day?”

“It was… exhausting, can we even _get_ exhausted?” Liam smiled, hands on Theo’s thighs in a slow caress as they made their way up, reaching for the Chimera’s “And then, let me tell you, the school is great, really is, but there was this one teacher, Gosh, he was so boring, talked like he was about to die, or rather I would, like stab myself with a sharpie or something”

“I got two of those myself, I know how it goes” Liam smiled, hand climbing to Theo’s hair, the Chimera’s eyes on his “Normally I just text you through those classes”

Theo appreciated Liam trying to relax him, appreciate the hand that reminded him his day was over and that now they were home, hours away from having to leave it again. Theo was hungry, wanting to take a shower and just curl in bed with Liam, his back ached, in a very human way, surprisingly.

“How was work? Boring? Anything exciting happened?”

“Same old, same old” Theo spoke, resting back on the couch “After that many classes in a row, I was thankful to arrive at work. Got you a copy of that new book you mentioned the other day, so I guess that counts as something nice”

Liam smiled, moving his hand to grab the back of Theo’s head and glue their mouths together. And Theo hadn't realized how much he had missed it, had missed _Liam,_ until he tasted him, had the wolf against his mouth, against his body once again.

“You had a really shitty day, huh?” Liam whispered against his mouth, lips wet and warm, his hand caressing Theo’s shoulders “You’re so tense, Theo”

Theo nodded, hands reaching for Liam’s clothes and tugging at them, pulling the wolf closer. Liam got up on his feet, never letting go of Theo’s neck or lips, kneeling on the couch next. Theo’s hands squeezed his thighs, the kiss slow and _hot_. Theo felt it instantly, how one touch from Liam was enough to get all his muscles to relax, his body recognizing finally that he was home.

And it was still surprising, after almost three years, how Liam could do that to him. Though Theo craved this feeling, craved how secured he was around Liam, it still took his breath away. Liam had his hands in his hair, on his neck and cheeks, moaning into his mouth sweetly, hugging him with soft and warm touches, nuzzling him, whispering to him. It was everything Theo needed in that very moment, had been needing all day.

Calmness. That’s what he needed.

“Better?” Liam teased softly, lips on Theo’s neck as his hands roamed down the Chimera’s chest, circling his waist slowly, leaving burning hot kisses on his skin.

“Yes…” Theo moaned, arm around Liam’s back to pull the wolf closer, hand on the back of his neck as he stretched, mouth on his in a long, warm kiss “Fuck, I really needed this, baby”

“Who says we have to stop here?” Liam smiled, lips against Theo’s mouth for a moment longer before he pulled away, looking down at Theo, who still seemed somewhat tense and not at all comfortable. Liam knew it was too much, especially when they couldn’t let loose, not like most people. They couldn’t go for drinks, they couldn’t punch stuff in some boxing class, they had to keep it all bottled up and Liam _understood_ Theo.

“Baby…” Theo started protesting, his head against the couch as he sighed, hands reaching higher for Liam’s waist.

“Hush, now” Liam spoke softly, fingers in Theo’s hair, his other hand lifting the Chimera’s uniform to finally get their skins touching after so long. Theo moaned, mouth opening to try and say something, but Liam kissed him quickly, just a hot press of lips, like their first kiss “I know exactly what you’re going through, but you’re home now, with me” Liam smirked, lips back on Theo’s skin, the Chimera groaning, head to the side to give him all the access he could need “And I know it all starts again tomorrow, but I’m here to make it all go away”

Theo didn’t have words that could ever measure up to those, to what they meant to him. All he could do was smile and let Liam take care of him. And Liam did. Liam moved away from where he was sitting on Theo’s lap, fingers eager to undo the button of the Chimera’s jeans. Theo huffed, amused when Liam growled at how hard the article of clothing seemed to want to make it for him.

Liam’s shirt was out next, the maroon, 'Harvard History' hoodie bundled up on the floor by Theo’s bag. Theo toed off his shoes, hands reaching to push down Liam’s sweats, smiling against the wolf’s mouth when they were finally able to touch each other, like they had been starving to do all day.

Once all of their clothes laid forgotten all over the apartment floor and even chairs and lamps, Liam smiled through his lashes at Theo, the Chimera’s hands on his shoulders as the wolf bent down to spit generously on his already hard dick. Theo hissed at Liam’s hand grabbing him, squeezing him so tight it felt like his body was on fire, responding to him in a way he had never before.

Liam straddled Theo again, the Chimera’s hands on his waist and leg, eyes closed, just breathing. Liam held his dick in place, sinking down on him like he hadn’t done in a really long time. Liam sunk all the way down, arms circling Theo’s waist once more as he moaned, eyes shut tight, letting the Chimera pull him down.

They didn’t kiss, the moans being ripped out of their throats too loud and breathy for them to do anything else but let them out. Theo held him by the back of the neck, Liam not giving himself a second before letting his hips roll, lifting then sinking back down, Theo’s moans working as his guide, as always.

Theo’s hands slid to Liam’s waist, the wolf holding on to couch as he kept at it, eyes on the Chimera’s face the whole time.

“Fuck, that’s good…” Theo moaned, eyes closed as his jaw fell open, head against the couch “Fuck, baby…”

Liam sunk all the way down again, pressing against Theo’s body forcefully, keeping himself there for a moment before starting to move again, ripping a long, low moan from Theo, the Chimera’s hands squeezing his waist.

“So deep…” Theo breathed out, the wolf smiling at the words. Liam set his hands back on Theo’ skin, the Chimera moaning at the touch. His hips never moved, letting Liam take control. And the wolf knew just how much that mattered to him, _to them_ “Fuck, so deep, baby”

Liam chuckled lowly, arm wrapping around Theo’s neck, kissing the Chimera’s lips for a long moment, both of them moaning into it. Their mouths broke apart when Theo moved his feet and rocked his hips against Liam’s thrusts, his cock spreading him wider than ever before.

“Yeah, Theo…” Liam fisted Theo’s hair, letting go not a moment later, moaning deeply inside his chest.

“Yeah, baby” Theo let his hands touch all of Liam, his back, up to his shoulders, chest and arms, feeling the smooth skin under his palms, his wolf temperature only rising due to their heated sex on the couch.

Liam kissed Theo once more, moaning into the contact, letting Theo start fucking up into him. His cock felt hot, unusually hot inside his body, tearing him apart from the inside out, in the best way possible. Liam held on to the couch, feeling like he could easily forget he was even on planet Earth with the way Theo was making him feel.

Theo groaned low in his chest, hands on Liam’s arms as he held on to the wolf’s waist, guiding his hips’ movement against his thrusts, going a bit faster. They both growled, complaining when Theo’s dick slipped out on a particularly longer thrust. Liam panted, immediately snarling at the loss. Theo smirked, eyes closed as he felt Liam reaching back and guiding his cock back in.

Theo touched his middle finger to Liam’s stretched out rim, right where he could feel his cock sliding into the delicious heat that was Liam’s ass, teasing the skin, making the two of them moan. Liam sucked on his bottom lip, angling himself so Theo could slide even deeper into him.

Theo held the back of his head, opening his mouth so Liam could take control of the kiss, tongue fighting his for control, for a _long_ moment. Theo smiled when Liam let him go, his hands moving down to the wolf’s waist, urging him to move, to start finally riding him like the Chimera had been hard for.

And Liam was fucking _good_ at it, moving his hips, using his powerful thighs to push himself up then sink back down, a blissed out expression on his handsome face, eyes locked with Theo’s. The Chimera’s hands moved to squeeze his waist, gripping him tight.

But it all changed when Liam pulled his hands away, holding them above his head. Theo’s hips stopped moving, his Chimera frozen in place as he did his best to keep himself from pushing against Liam’s hands, forcefully breaking free like it wanted to, just breathing. Liam didn’t seem to notice the change, moving his hips, moaning lowly as he threw his head back.

Theo tried using that moment to move his hands, get them out of Liam’s grip, but the wolf didn’t let him. And Liam’s hips stopped, head snapping back so he could look back down at Theo, when the Chimera growled out. In warning.

“Let go of my hands, Liam” Theo spoke through gritted teeth, eyes closed as he did his best to keep the Chimera locked inside. He couldn’t lose control now, not like this. Not when he was _inside_ Liam, this close to the wolf. Nothing good would ever come out of that “Let me go, please”

“Theo…” Liam breathed out, voice slurred from pleasure as he held Theo’s hands in place, right where they were, locked above his head with one of his, the other going down to hold the side of Theo’s face, thumb brushing softly against his jaw “Theo, what is it? Look at me, please”

Theo opened his eyes, unable to hold back that part of the shift. It wasn’t Liam, he _knew_ Liam was only letting the sex take over and make it all that much more interesting and hot, but the Chimera refused to settle. Liam holding his hands like that, somewhat restraining him just took him back to places he had long forgotten ever being to in the first place. Shackles around his wrists, electricity rushing through his body... Those weren't things Theo wanted to remember, but there they were, flashing back into his mind.

And Liam saw bright yellow irises. And it was enough to set him into motion.

“Fuck, Theo, here, I’m here, focus on me” Liam spoke, hand moving to the back of Theo’s head, gripping his neck tight, forehead against his. Theo snarled loudly when Liam started moving again, hips rocking and rolling against the Chimera’s, pleasure shooting through both of them “Fuck, do you feel that? Fuck, yeah, Theo, you feel so fucking good inside me. I’m here, can you feel me? I’ll never hurt you and you’ll never hurt me, trust me, Theo, just trust me”

Liam rambled, his words slurred and warm, gentle and _hot_ against Theo’s mouth. Liam kissed him, the Chimera fighting inside his body and mind, but Theo shut it off as best as he could, moving his fingers until he could feel Liam’s skin under his. Liam’s eyes shot up to catch the movement once he pulled away, moving back down to find Theo’s hazel eyes back on him.

Liam smiled, though he knew Theo was still fighting the battle for control with his Chimera, the beast that had been pieced together inside the body of a child, many years before. 

“I’m here, Theo, always with you” Liam moaned, forehead against Theo’s chest as he lifted his ass then sunk back down, smiling wide at hearing Theo’s choked out groan at the movement “I love you, Theo, I’m never going to hurt you, just trust me, I just want you to trust me”

And that’s when Theo felt it. It was when everything around him disappeared, when all there was was Liam, Liam kissing him, loving him, whispering sweet words to him, _riding_ him, making love to him on their couch, that Theo truly felt it.

Peace.

And Liam pulled back when Theo relaxed completely, body limp against the couch. Liam waited, trying to control his breathing, just waiting for Theo to talk to him, the Chimera grabbing for whatever it was of his hand that he could reach.

“Liam…”

When Theo opened his eyes and the first thing he saw was Liam, Liam smiling at him, feeling Liam’s hands on his face, Liam’s warmth _all around_ him, he understood it. And the realization made his heart settle, a smile on his face when he felt the Chimera finally rest, _under control._

“You with me?” Liam whispered, a worried look on his face as he waited, hand on Theo’s face, thumb caressing his cheek. Theo smiled, heart fluttering at the new yet old feeling inside his chest. This was Liam, _his_ Liam, and it fucking felt like home could be anywhere, so long as Liam was still his.

“Always, baby” Liam smiled, arms moving to circle Theo’s shoulders, the Chimera moaning as he hugged Liam, pulling the wolf down into him. Liam moaned, eyes closed tight as he held on to Theo, the Chimera fucking him now with renewed strength, hips snapping up with long, slow thrusts that drove Liam almost borderline insane.

“Theo, _fuck!”_ Liam moaned, nails digging into Theo’s shoulder as he tucked his forehead against Theo’s neck, the Chimera’s hands roaming his body, gripping his waist to hold him right where he was, Theo’s cock sliding into him deep, all the day up to his deepest, most delicious parts.

“Oh, baby…” Theo panted, holding Liam’s shoulders to keep him close, the two of them moaning as their hips moved, seeking more and more of each other “Damn it, Liam, bounce, baby, fucking _bounce_ on my cock for me, come on…”

Liam smiled, hands on the couch on either side of the Chimera's head as he felt Theo help him, holding him by the hips, never trying to control how fast the wolf wanted to ride him, but urging him to keep going. Liam was lost in a haze, his nostrils full of Theo’s scent, skin on fire against the Chimera’s, lips begging to feel kissed raw.

“That’s it, baby, just like that…” Theo praised, hands going up and down Liam’s sides, a large smile on his lips as he watched Liam, his beautiful Liam on top of him “You’re so good for me, Liam…”

“All yours, Theo…” Liam smirked, eyes closing as he bit his lip, head thrown back in pleasure when the head of Theo’s dick hit that deliciously sweet spot inside him, a low moan ripped out of his chest “Fuck…”

But then Liam was pulling away, standing from the couch on wobbly legs. Theo’s hands were frantic, trying to reach out and pull him back, and Liam smiled, hands on his.

“What are you doing?” Theo panted, his cock hard against his abs, twitching for Liam.

“Just wanted to switch things up a bit” Liam answered, a smile on his lips, sweaty, damp hair falling in front of his eyes.

And Theo felt the anticipation building as soon as Liam wrapped his right arm around the Chimera’s shoulders, his back now facing Theo’s chest. Theo held his dick in place, Liam moaning loudly at the new position. Theo wrapped an arm around Liam’s waist, supporting his weight as he felt Liam immediately start chasing that same hot, burning pleasure.

And Liam was so exposed like this, so open in Theo’s arms, it actually made the Chimera startle back to life. But it made him feel brand new. It made Theo feel protective in a whole new way, made him want nothing more than to make Liam come undone, care and love him endlessly.

Theo heard Liam chuckling out a moan when he teased a nipple, Liam never reaching for his own hard cock as he used his other hand to balance himself on the couch. Theo reached for the hand that was on his shoulder and Liam intertwined their fingers, squeezing his hand for a moment, before just holding on to it.

“Fuck, Theo, so fucking deep…” Liam groaned, head thrown back in utter bliss as he relaxed completely, letting only his hips work against Theo’s, his feet on the couch on either side of the Chimera’s spread legs.

“You feel amazing, baby” Theo praised, knowing it went straight to the most animalistic parts of Liam. Liam keened, nose actually nuzzling Theo’s neck before planting a kiss to his skin, panting all the while.

Liam moaned, reaching the rest of the way when Theo let go of their intertwined hands to grab the back of his neck and pull him in for a kiss, his other hand gripping his hip to still him. They moaned into the kiss, despite the weird angle, Theo growling into Liam’s mouth when he pulled the wolf’s ass down, fucking his cock up, spreading him wider.

“Fuck!” Liam pulled away, gripping Theo’s neck, forehead against the Chimera’s for a moment before he moved away again, back to their original position. And Liam did his best to ride Theo like this, with the Chimera holding him up, white dots taking over his vision.

Theo smiled, eyes closed as he held Liam, the wolf moaning his pleasure by the Chimera’s ear. Theo’s hands moved to Liam’s knees, spreading the wolf’s legs even more. Liam dug his nail into his pec, arm tightening around his neck as he rode Theo, the force of his body fucking against the Chimera’s moving them further on their side on the couch, with each thrust of his frantic hips.

They kissed, letting their hips rolls and slap together, moaning into each other’s mouths, whispering dirty words that got lost in their living room, subdued by the loud slapping of their hips and moans. Theo groaned, fingers reaching for Liam’s thigh, squeezing the wolf as he fucked deep into him, Liam moaning and spreading his legs even more, taking it.

“Fuck, right there, Theo…” Theo smiled, aiming for that spot again, wanting desperately to give Liam his everything. Liam’s eyes rolled back, the wolf biting his lip through a moan, hands clasping Theo in whatever way they could “Theo, Theo, fuck…”

“Yeah? Is that good, baby?” Theo teased, pulling at Liam’s earlobe softly with his teeth, sinking his cock deep into Liam again, feet on the couch to push himself up, pulling him down, their bodies meeting halfway in a dance they had choreographed a long, long time ago.

“Yes, fuck yes, so good, Theo…” Liam reached for Theo, pulling the Chimera in for one more kiss before pushing himself up, panting, with beads of sweat rolling down his back. Theo watched as Liam slowly lifted himself from his cock, standing and turning to look at him “Ten bucks says you can’t catch me before I present on our bed” He spoke, wicked grin on his handsome face.

Liam took off running the second he saw the smirk that took over Theo’s face, the Chimera in him guided by the instinct to protect and Liam’s loud, happy giggles. There was no way Theo could beat him to the bedroom, Werewolves were simply naturally faster than Chimeras, but Theo would be damned if he let Liam run from him, not when they were having sex, not like this.

Or ever, for that matter.

And Liam had a smile on his face, already on his knees on the bed by the time Theo showed up on the threshold. Their apartment wasn’t that big, but Liam _was_ that fast. And for the first time, Theo wasn’t afraid, not even in the deepest parts of him, that there was a tiny, tiny chance, he’d hurt Liam. Finally, all doubts were just... gone.

And that’s why he just kept a steady hand on the small of Liam’s back, kneeling on the bed before thrusting back in, both wolf and Chimera howling into the night. This position was special for them. It was their _‘I love you’_ position. They hardly ever had sex in it, maybe had only ever found themselves seeking it three or four times since they first spoke those words to each other.

Tonight was another one of those times, one more to add to their list. Liam felt the need to let Theo retake control, after having given it up to him, after fighting his Chimera for it. He _wanted_ to do this for Theo, he wanted to be good for him. Liam was more in sync with his wolf now than ever before, but Deaton had explained that there was a big chance Theo would never be, since there were parts of different creatures inside him and they all acted and reacted differently, but they were taking it one day at a time.

“Fuck…” Liam dragged the vowel, hips moving back to help ease Theo’s cock the rest of the way in. Theo grabbed him by the hips, growling inside his chest, the sound going down to where they were connected.

“Fuck, yeah, there you go, baby” Theo moaned, eyes locked on the portion of Liam’s face that he could see, the wolf’s eyes closed in pleasure. Theo grabbed his asscheeks, having missed how they always feel in the palms of his hands, so full and powerful.

And Theo wanted desperately to close his eyes, but he couldn’t. He moved his hands away, biting his lip and just watching as Liam pushed back, fucking himself on Theo’s cock. It wasn’t something he did very often, they normally didn’t get to go this slow, didn’t normally think of foreplay or just doing things that would drive them even crazier. They just _went for it._ But it was on nights like this that they brought out the big guns and Theo? Well, he had a _really_ big gun and Liam loved to be the only one who got to have it, would  _ever_ get to have it.

Theo’s hand softly slid to Liam’s waist, the wolf moving up to stand on his hands and knees, looking back at the Chimera, hips fucking back onto the hot spear inside him.

“Fuck, baby” Theo moaned, mesmerized by the show Liam was putting on for him. He loved getting to see this side of Liam, this wicked, perfect side of the boy who blushed whenever Theo flirted a little too explicitly with him. And it was all  _his._

“Theo…”

They both moaned, Theo starting to move along with the movements of Liam’s hips, letting the wolf set the pace. Liam moved his body, testing different angles until one got the loudest moan out of Theo and that’s the one he used, fucking back harder, faster.

Theo gripped his hips, his ass, squeezed him even, but never took over the movements. The Chimera helped, not wanting Liam to do all the work, like he had been all night, but there was nothing hotter than his sweet, perfect Liam being naughty just for him, so no one could blame Theo, really.

Theo taking over happened smoothly, their hips moving at a speed so similar it was hard to know who was in charge and who was just following. And Liam moaned, chest on the mattress as his hands reached for Theo’s thighs, fingers digging into the powerful muscles.

“Oh, fuck yeah, baby” Theo pulled almost all the way out, pushing back in when Liam whimpered, calling out his name with such a breathy plea Theo could do nothing but comply, burying himself almost balls deep into the wolf.

“Fuck, harder, Theo… please, fuck me harder” Liam begged, his toes curling as he moved a shoulder back, his hand reaching for Theo. The Chimera bent forward a bit, Liam’s hand warm and gentle as it rested on his abs, going up his chest to the back of his neck “Harder…”

And Theo smirked, watching as all Liam could do was moan and _take it_. Because there was nothing he wouldn’t give to Liam, especially if Liam asked him for it  _like that._

“Fuck me, Theo, fuck my ass” Theo growled, his hands gripping Liam so hard the bones of his hips were moments away from snapping, bending dangerously under the power of the Chimera's grip. Liam screamed, fisting the blankets of their bed as he felt the burn of Theo’s cock spreading him, his rim applying no resistance at all as Theo _pounded,_ jackhammering Liam onto the bed “Fuck yeah, Theo, just like that”

“You like it rough, Liam? You like it when I go all rough on you, baby?” And Liam actually screamed when Theo pulled out, his body suddenly empty and _not fucking there yet_. Theo reached for him, hands on his skin as he maneuvered Liam, grabbing a pillow to set it under the wolf’s head.

It was deeper like this, somehow, with Theo standing and with Liam on his back. Because there was no space between them. Liam kept his legs spread wide, Theo’s hands on the mattress for support as he let Liam pull him down, hugging him closer and closer with every thrust.

And fuck, if it wasn’t the hottest thing they had ever done.

Theo fucked into him slowly, testing, smiling when Liam threw his head back, jaw going slack in a silent moan, his hands gripping the back of the Chimera’s neck tightly.

And Liam pulled him in as Theo picked up the pace, the Chimera’s hands gripping his thighs just as Liam hugged his back, moaning into his mouth. Theo moved to Liam’s neck, biting at the soft skin for a moment, a hickey that diappeared seconds later. Theo _loved_ hearing Liam whenever they were so close like this, Liam hugging him, hand fisted into his hair.

“You feel amazing, baby” Theo moaned, pulling away from their hug a bit, his hands reaching for Liam’s hips to have an even better hold on the wolf. Theo fucked deeper, Liam still holding onto him like a lifeline, head thrown back as he moaned, screaming at the feeling of Theo making such delicious love to him “I love your ass, baby, so fucking tight and delicious for me”

“Yeah?” Liam groaned, licking his lips before pulling Theo in for a kiss, moaning when Theo fucked straight into his prostate “Fuck! One more of those and I’m gonna cum, Theo, I swear to fucking God, I’m gonna cum!”

“But I’m not even remotely _close_ to being done with you, baby” Theo teased, smiling at the low, short roar, almost half hearted snarl Liam threw at him “I guess I’m just gonna have to keep fucking you until you’re hard again, huh?”

“Fuck, Theo…” Liam cried out, eyes closed as he threw his arms around Theo’s shoulder, the Chimera pulling away some so he could pull Liam closer to the edge of the bed, most of his weight on one hand on the bed, the other hugged around Liam’s thigh “Fuck yeah”

Theo pulled Liam closer to his body, eyes on the wolf as he started fucking, _properly_ fucking him. Liam screamed, nails digging into whatever part of Theo he could find, head thrown back into the pillow.

“Fuck, Liam…” Theo groaned, eyes closed, urging Liam to circle his waist, both his hands on the bed as he pounded, letting Liam hug him, pull him down and kiss him even, but his hips never stopped “That’s it, baby, take it, take all of it”

“Yeah?” Liam panted, ankles hooking behind Theo’s back.

“Yeah, baby” Theo smiled, licking into Liam’s mouth, breathing the wolf in “You feel so fucking incredible, Liam, I love you so much, baby”

“God! I love you! I love you, Theo! Fuck!” Liam screamed when Theo hit his prostate again, his head spinning and he was pretty sure that if someone asked him to add 2 plus 2, he’d find 5. Theo made love to him, fucked Liam into this state of pure relaxation, of pure trust, love and devotion and the wolf could only hope he had done the same for him.

Theo smiled down at him, his arms hooking under Liam’s legs and hoisting him up and setting both of them higher on the bed, pillows forgotten as the strength of their lovemaking forced everything to the ground. Liam opened up for him, legs circling his waist and arms hugging Theo, lips on his shoulder, fingers in his hair, whispering all kinds of sweet, dirty, _dirty_ words into his ear.

And Theo kneeled on the bed, arms passing around Liam’s shoulders as best as he could, giving himself away to the wolf completely, all the tiny bits he hadn’t already. It was all different now and Theo couldn’t wait to see the look on Liam’s face when he found out, a tugging at his chest, his heart sweelling at how fucking _in love_ with Liam he was.

“Theo, I’m gonna cum” Liam spoke, forehead tucked against the side of Theo’s neck, but he made no move to try and jerk himself off. Theo smiled, kissing his neck and collarbone, hips moving a tad faster and it was enough “Fuck, just like that, Theo, fuck yeah, I’m cumming... fuck, I’m cumming”

Theo groaned, letting Liam’s orgasm drive him over the edge, the tsunami of his own release hitting the shore that was his body not a moment after Liam’s tight, _tight_ asshole started clenching around his cock. Liam was tight enough that it was hard to continue thrusting, but Theo did, carefully riding out their orgasms.

And Theo’s body _shook_ , his hips and legs shaking as he pulled away from Liam’s grip, gasping at the feeling of his body working to dump the _biggest amount of cum_ either of them had ever seen. It took Liam a bit longer to understand what was happening and he witnessed, as he opened his eyes, Theo groaning, his hands gripping Liam’s arms as he bent forward, breathing harshly.

And Liam bit his lip, doing his best not to startle Theo when he felt even more cum shooting inside him. Because Theo was hit by a second orgasm, that’s what it was. Just as the first was dying down, it hit the Chimera, his body shaking even more from the force of it. It was strong, like a cannonball, taking his breath away for a good three minutes before Theo could even open his eyes again.

Theo barely moved, eyes rolling back as the slightest touch against his dick made cum drip out. Liam gasped under him, not daring to move a muscle, though his dick was seriously getting hard again, stupidly fast, even for a wolf.

“Fuck, are you…?” Liam didn’t really know if Theo could answer his question, given the look of pure shock and bliss on his face, but he had to ask “Are you _still_ cumming?” Liam’s hand squeezed itself in between their bodies, resting absentmindedly on his stomach, where he felt a warm sensation. There was something like a bump there, like he had been arching his back, his body growing and changing to accommodate all of what Theo was giving him.

Theo groaned at the words, his eyes still closed. He opened them though, because Liam didn’t let him pull away, legs circled tight around his waist. Theo simply nodded then, moaning with his head thrown back when a third wave hit him, more cum up Liam’s ass. Liam gasped, hands climbing up to Theo’s shoulders and slowly guiding the Chimera down towards his chest, urging him to relax. Liam smiled, hugging the man when Theo finally budged, huffing at the added weight, his fingers going through Theo’s tangled up mess of a hair.

“Fuck, that’s really fucking hot” Liam chuckled, lips to Theo’s temple, hand going softly up and down the Chimera’s back as he let it crash down on him, holding and keeping him grounded.

Theo huffed, too caught up in this crazy orgasm of his to do much else. It all had happened probably because… Well, Theo couldn’t even explain it himself, his brain still under the haze that had been put around his brain by the three mind-blowing orgasms he had just had, in a fucking row. He didn’t even want to think about cumming that much. Theo was perfectly aware of the roundness in Liam’s stomach, but it wasn’t something Theo was ready or would maybe ever be ready to address. It made him feel all kinds of ways, he couldn’t lie, that Liam’s body would accept him like that, change itself, for him, like that. But he wasn’t ready for that conversation, not yet, neither of them were.

Liam was already hard again, how could he possibly _not_ be with the show Theo had just put on for him, really? But he simply held Theo, breathing, kissing every inch of skin he could reach, brushing his knuckles softly against Theo’s back, whispering sweet words to the Chimera.

By the time Theo moved away, resting his weight on his elbows to look at Liam, he looked… _fucked out._ Theo looked like a fucking sex God, so sure of himself, with his sly smile, licking his lips, leaving a wet, open mouthed kiss to Liam’s chest before sighing, eyes almost looking sleepy in a way, like they had that kind of sex everyday.

And no, Liam wasn’t complaining. But he wanted to make sure Theo was okay, _needed_ to, after the Chimera had almost come out mere moments before.

“You okay, Theo?” Theo smiled, hands brushing Liam’s hair back, eyes locked onto those beautiful blue oceans.

“I’m so much better than just _okay,_ baby, you have no idea the things you do to me” Liam smiled, his hands sliding up Theo’s arms, caressing the faint, soft, blonde hairs there.

“I merely helped, you did everything” Liam shrugged, frowning when Theo groaned, the Chimera’s hands on his neck, thumbs on his cheeks.

“Baby, you didn’t _just_ help” Theo whispered “On the couch, with my Chimera _this_ close to taking control, maybe because you made me remember something I had forgotten, I don’t know. I guess I was tired and jumpy and that really didn’t help, you taking control from me like that, with no heads up” Liam opened his mouth, brain already coming up with an apology, heart picking up speed at Theo’s words, but the Chimera shushed him softly, kissing his lips lightly “But then the most _extraordinary_ thing happened, baby”

Theo grabbed Liam’s hand, placing it on his chest, right above his heart. Liam bit his lips, worry taking over every inch of his face. He couldn’t possibly live with himself if he ever hurt Theo, he  _couldn't._

“Everything got _quiet”_ Theo laughed, a large smile on his face “I looked at you and the Chimera got fucking quiet, for the first time in my life, Liam, because of _you”_

“What are you talking about?” Liam whispered, his hands on Theo’s pecs, tracing his collar bones “How could I have done that?”

“You became my Anchor, baby” Theo whispered, smiling as he bent over Liam to remove almost all the space that he had put between them. Liam gasped, eyes wide as his hands stopped moving, blinking at Theo as if his brain suddenly wasn’t able to catch up with what the Chimera was saying “Right there, riding me back into control, loving me like you do, you settled into my soul as my Anchor and the whole world went dead silent around me” Theo whispered, his eyes half closed as his lips hovered over Liam’s “Until there was only you”

Liam could feel the usual burn of unshed tears, but he ignored everything. He smiled, could _only_ smile, letting the words wash over him like a drug. Theo rested their foreheads together, moaning happily when Liam pulled him down for a kiss.

“But how is it even possible? I wasn’t trying to do it, didn’t even know I could” Liam spoke, pulling away from the kiss much too fast for Theo’s liking. Theo growled, diving into Liam’s neck, the wolf’s brain trying to come up with a way to explain how he had become Theo’s Anchor if the Chimera hadn’t tried to make it happen in the first place, his arms hugging Theo absentmindedly.

“Liam, all I know is that I love you and that you were it for me before, but now you’re it for my Chimera too” Liam smiled, biting his lip as Theo pulled away, their hands never leaving each other’s bodies “I can’t explain it, don’t really want to because it feels honestly fucking _amazing_ and I’m starving, sweaty and I _really_ wanna get you in the shower before all that cum starts drying, that’d just be a nightmare”

“Theo, I think it’s gonna take more than just five minutes for _all that_ to start drying, but I do appreciate the concern” Liam laughed, arms hugging Theo’s shoulders when the Chimera circled his waist, pulling him into his arms, getting them off the bed and walking towards the bathroom “Might wanna change the sheets and blankets too, I’ll handle that and maybe you can order some pizza?”

“Sounds good to me, baby” Theo smirked, kicking the bathroom door shut, moaning into Liam’s kiss.

 

* * *

 

Theo inhaled deeply as soon as he arrived home, frowning when he found that Liam’s scent was faint, a clear sign he hadn’t arrived yet. Theo left his bag on the kitchen counter, getting his laptop out and starting the process of setting it on their study table, then turning it on. School and work had gotten exponentially better after Liam became his Anchor, like those trivial, everyday things no longer could affect him.

Theo walked into the kitchen, opening the fridge as he checked the time again on the microwave clock. 7:37. Practice ended at 7. Theo huffed, grabbing himself a bottle of water, his mouth unsettling dry. He sat in front of his computer, opening his School’s website and getting one of his books out to do some research one of his teachers had asked for.

At 8:10, Theo stood, picking his phone up from the table. He had already finished his research, turning his computer off and stuffing everything he’d need for school the following day in his bag, leaving it ready by one of the chairs. He hit speed dial 1, Liam’s picture smiling at him on the screen for a moment, before he squeezed the phone in between his cheek and shoulder.

Huh. Voicemail.

“Hum, Liam? What’s up, are you still at practice? Just… Gimme a call, kay?”

Theo ended the call, frowning at his phone. Liam never, _never_ let _his_ calls go to voicemail, when he wasn’t in school or at practice. Emphasys on never. It was a thing of theirs, they always picked up each other’s calls. And that wasn’t the only time Theo left Liam a voicemail that night, the wolf didn’t walk through the door five minutes later, apologizing nonstop for being late.

Theo stopped himself twice before sighing, closing his eyes and letting the phone rest against his ear again, eyes on the moon outside. And Theo growled, lips curled over his canines when it kept beeping, but the call never connected. It was 8:41.

“We don’t do this, Liam, _I_ don’t fucking do this, alright? I don’t sit at home and worry about your little werewolf ass” Theo mumbled into the phone, knowing they’d fight because of this. And Theo forced himself to breathe, almost digging his claws into his thigh “Baby, where the fuck _are_ you? Just… ah, fuck it”

Theo groaned, aiming for the couch and throwing his phone at it. He didn’t want to break it, obviously, but he couldn’t just stand still either. It made his bones ache to just stand there, the feeling inside his chest making him feel breathless all out of a sudden.

All out of a sudden there was a burn, a dull, aching throb inside his chest and Theo touched it, fisting his uniform, almost as if it was choking him. No. No, he was _not_ having a panic attack. What the actual fuck was Liam even _doing_ to him? Theo had felt different after Liam become his Anchor, that was a given, but it was never like this. Theo felt the need to touch the wolf more, be with him more, but he had never had fucking _separation anxiety._

Theo’s head snapped when his phone rang and he immediately recognized the horrible ringtone Liam had picked out for himself on the Chimera’s phone. He crossed their living room with three long steps, throwing himself on his knees on the floor as he followed the music, finding his phone by the coffee table.

“Baby? Where the hell are you? Do you have any…”

“Theo? Theo, I’m still at school, I need you here, _please”_ It was like Theo’s heart had stopped beating. It was like, when his brain recognized Liam, the horrified, rushed tone to his words, the wolf sniffing, crying, on the other side of the line, Theo snapped into motion, standing from the floor and making a run for the door, hand reaching for the car keys “I… I, Theo, I need you… here”

“I’m already on my way, baby, talk to me, what happened?” Theo begged, doing his best to keep his voice calm, something Liam clearly needed right now “Please, baby, talk to me, baby, _talk”_

“It _hurts_ to talk, Theo” Liam spoke and Theo could almost smell the tears, shoulder holding the phone in place as he forgot all about his seatbelt, sliding the key into the ignition and turning the engine on “I need you here, please”

The call disconnected before Theo could do anything about it. He looked at his phone, throwing it on the passenger seat as he growled deep inside his chest, putting the truck into drive and speeding out of their garage. And there it was, after all those years.

Fear.

Actual dread, the freezing fright traveling through his no longer ice cold veins, terror closing in around his beating heart, that something, something _bad_ had happened to Liam, to his Liam.

Fear. Dread. Fright. Terror.

That maybe Theo just _wouldn’t_ make it there in time to save him.

Not this time.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Sorry for the cliffhanger, guys!
> 
> Thank you so much for reading, hope you liked this chapter! Let me know what you think, alright?!


	14. Savoured That Perfect Moment

_'The boy he loves is midnight, like the blue of the sea cradled by the moonlight._

_The boy he loves is verdant, the very green of the hill kissed by the summer delight._

_The boy he loves is coral, as pink as the roses that grow in his mother's garden._

_The boy he loves is crimson, red like the Autumn leaves that lay abandoned'_

_-Nikita Gill, The Boy He Loves_

 

“Where the _fuck_ is he?” Theo spoke, slamming the truck door shut once he jumped out, face in a scowl as he recognized Robert, the former Lacrosse team captain. Theo knew that if he was there, waiting for him, then he had to know what the hell had happened “Where’s Liam?”

“He’s in the infirmary” Robert spoke, almost jogging to keep up with Theo’s pace, the Chimera bursting through the college doors. Theo had absolutely no idea where said infirmary was, but all he had to do was focus on Liam’s heart and scent to know he was on the third floor, knowing which staircase would lead him faster there “After practice ended, only a few of us headed to the locker room, even though today is Wednesday, many prefered to go and shower at home”

“Liam hates the uniform” Theo mumbled, Robert huffing through his nose, turning the corner and getting started on climbing the stairs “He takes it off as soon as possible”

“Yeah, most of us do” Robert joked, jogging up a few steps in silence beside Theo “He was the last one in the locker room, I guess, I was helping coach lock up, since there are no practices tomorrow” Robert stopped going up the stairs, hand out to make Theo stop too. Theo bounced with energy, eyes unable to focus on just one spot “Tell me something, at my party, the one you went to with Liam, did some guy… harass… Liam, in _any_ way?”

Then it clicked. And Theo’s silence was answer enough. Robert nodded, sighing before once more making his way upstairs, Theo staring ahead for a moment before following, his feet silent on the marble floor, unlike Robert’s. Theo swallowed past the lump that formed in his throat, running his fingers through his hair for a long moment before focusing on what Robert was saying again.

“Well, I guess he didn’t take no for an answer” Robert turned to look at Theo when the Chimera stopped, shaking his head when he saw the look on Theo’s face “He didn’t get very far, Liam rejected him again, obviously. But he got violent, and Liam wasn’t able to fight him off” Robert spoke, nose wrinkled in disgust, almost apologetically, head gesturing they had to start walking again “I stopped him from attacking Liam as soon as Coach and I walked back into the locker room, but not before the guy hit Liam pretty bad, in some serious places, from what I could tell”

“How the fuck do you even _allow_ someone like that to go to a school like this, huh?” Theo almost screamed, wanting, _desperately_ wanting to be in better control of himself for when he finally saw Liam, but the wolf seemed to be asleep, given how slowly his heart was beating “Liam busted his ass to earn that scholarship, to earn his spot on the team, he doesn’t fucking _deserve_ this”

“Theo, the headmaster _is_ already aware of the situation and we _have_ identified the student” Robert stopped by the infirmary door, lifting his hand before letting Theo in “I’ll give you two a few moments, but Liam refused to answer any questions without you here, after he woke up, that is. He was already out when I found him, but we _need_ him to talk to the headmaster before you take him home, so this student can be punished”

Theo nodded, taking a deep breath, hands gripping the back of his own neck tightly. Robert moved away, arms crossed as Theo’s hand shook, fingers wrapping around the door knob. Theo knew what Liam was doing, keeping his body from healing so he’d look normal to others. But it didn’t mean Theo was ready for it, for whatever waited for him behind that door.

“How bad is it?” Theo whispered, eyes on the dark, reddish brown wood the door was made of, hearing the steady thumping of Liam’s heart.

“Pretty fucking bad” Robert whispered back, hand on Theo’s shoulder, a look that was maybe supposed to be empathy on his face before he moved away, walking back down the hall “Go, have these moments to you guys before the unavoidable happens”

Theo _really_ hadn’t been ready for it, for the smell of clotted blood, agony and medicine. Liam on the bed nearly made him vomit, his hand immediately covering his mouth and nose, his stomach violently twisting inside him. Theo wanted to turn away from the sight, wanted to close his eyes, but he found he couldn’t, his feet frozen right where he stood.

Liam had a swollen, almost completely black eye, a long, already stitched up cut under his eyebrow that had probably bled a lot. There was indeed a huge stain on his sweatshirt. Liam’s nose had definitely been broken and then fixed, by medical hands, Theo could tell. Dark, greenish bruises everywhere on his face, on his jaw and cheekbone. And Theo feared letting his eyes examine down further, afraid of what else he’d find.

His hand reached for Liam’s as soon as he found the courage to stand next to the wolf’s bed, thick veins running up his arm. Theo closed his eyes for a moment, just breathing. He rolled his sleeve down, just in case anyone walked in on them like this. He wanted to take Liam’s pain, _knowing_ these gashes, cuts and bruises would take, days, _weeks_ to disappear and he _couldn’t_ let the wolf heal itself and he had to help Liam _somehow._

Liam mumbled, his good eye blinking open slowly, complaining at the bright lights. Theo’s hand climbed to his hair, brushing it out of his forehead, bent over the wolf so his body would protect his sore eyes from the clarity. Theo’s scent washed over Liam sweetly and fast, soothing almost immediately his aching lungs.

“I’m here, baby” Theo whispered, seeing that Liam still hadn’t totally focused on him, probably groggy from whatever the doctor gave him, since he wasn’t allowing his body to heal. That alone was exhausting “Baby? Can you hear me?”

“Theo?” Liam’s voice was rough, like he had gone to a rock concert the night before and had sung his heart out, cracking before he inhaled another lungful of air. The wolf blinked again a couple of times, his fingers trying to close around Theo’s hand, doing his best to return the tight hold the Chimera had on his “Theo…”

“Robert explained everything, I’m here now, it’s going to be okay” Theo smiled softly, trying to sound somewhat reassuring to the wolf “I felt it, you know? Your distress, though it wasn’t fast enough for me to get here in time”

“Tell me it’s over and you can take me home” Liam slurred his words, Theo gripping his hand tight and bringing it closer to his lips, leaving a soft kiss to the back of it, before replacing calmly it on the bed. Liam knew it wasn’t even close to being done, but he just needed Theo to tell him it was okay.

“It’s almost over, baby, but apparently there are some questions you have to answer before I can get you out of here” Theo whispered, the feeling inside his chest somewhat subsiding now that he had made sure Liam was alive and breathing. He’d make sure Liam would forget all about this, about this motherfucker’s hands ever touching him again “Liam, I’d never ask you to tell me, but if you _want to,_ I’m here, okay? You can talk to me”

“I’ll have to tell the headmaster anyway” Liam groaned, blinking to keep himself awake “Might as well do it only once, will you… are you…?”

“Yes, baby, I’m fine” Theo smiled, his lips brushing softly against Liam’s forehead. Liam’s breath hitched, his fingers holding on to Theo’s even more. Theo smirked, nose against the wolf’s skin “Do you like that, baby?” Liam nodded, moaning as loud as he could through his sore throat. Theo smiled, caressing Liam’s hair, lips back on his skin for another, long kiss “Right now, I’m just worried, I just want to get this over with. I’ll let the Chimera get angry later”

“Can you get the doctor? Or Robert?” Liam whispered, his voice sounding every bit as tired, wrecked and ruined as he looked and probably felt “Robert is better, he’ll know where to find everyone”

“Sure, baby, can you stay awake for me?” Theo whispered, his fingers caressing Liam’s scalp softly, his tangled hair damp under his skin “The faster you answer these questions, the faster I get to take you home”

Liam nodded, sighing when Theo kissed him, his tongue warm on the cut that had barely closed on his bottom lip, still sore. But it was all Liam needed, that kiss. They both groaned when Theo started walking towards the door and the Chimera actually stepped back to Liam’ side, to touch and kiss him twice more before all but _forcing_ himself out of the room.

He found Robert not a minute later, the man pacing outside what seemed to be the headmaster’s office, someone on the phone on the other side of the glassed door. Robert spun around as soon as he saw Theo, hand gripping the fabric of his own shirt as he eyed Theo with inquisitive eyes, stuffing his cellphone into his pocket.

“Liam asked me to find you, said you’d be able to get the doctor for him” Robert nodded, already making his way to the door, out the same way Theo had just come through “Can we get to those questions now? I wanna take him home”

“Sure, I’ll call the doctor so you can be with him” Robert said, a small reassuring smile on his lips “I’ll be over soon with the headmaster, you should go back in there”

Liam had fallen into a light sleep, mumbling and blinking tiredly when Theo touched him again, but didn’t move, sighing when their hands finally clung to each other.

“Robert is getting the doctor for you, baby, he’ll be here soon”

 

* * *

 

Again, Theo wasn’t ready for _this._ He wasn’t ready to just stand there and listen to Liam answer those private questions, tell those people about what he had gone through that night. Theo wasn’t surprised to find he wasn’t getting angry, he was just sad, worried, an ocean of love for Liam pouring out of him with every brush of his fingers across the wolf’ skin. He didn’t want to distract Liam, but couldn’t pull himself away completely either.

Theo _was_ angry, but in that very moment, the feeling wasn’t nearly strong enough to subdue the others. So Theo just held on to Liam’s hand, the wolf now sitting on his bed, as he took deep breaths and told everyone in the room about what had happened.

“Robert tells me you two had already encountered this student? Had an altercation with him?” The headmaster asked, with what looked like a formal complaint file, to Theo, in hands. The headmaster was much younger than his title made him sound, handling the situation surprisingly well. He sat there, legs crossed, with a book under the file for support.

“Yes, on the night before classes started, on the day of the workshop” The headmaster nodded along with Liam’s words, writing down whatever he thought was relevant to his case on the file “Theo and I arrived at Robert’s party pretty early, we didn’t want to stay very long since classes started the next day”

Theo handed Liam the already open bottle of water Robert had bought from a vending machine down the hall, a straw already on standby, to help ease Liam’s throat through all that talking. Liam smiled smally, hand shaking a bit as he reached for the bottle, trying not to cough too much, since it made all of his insides burn. Theo slid a hand onto the back of his neck and Liam had to bite his lip so he wouldn’t moan, the Chimera taking a bit more of his pain, smiling knowingly down at him.

“Theo moved away to grab us some water or soda, I don’t really remember” Liam sighed, hand gripping the material of his sweats, eyes shut tight for a moment before he forced the words out of his mouth “But in those moments I was alone, this guy walked up to me, asking if I wanted to, hmm… have sex with him” Theo squeezed his neck ever so lightly, enough for Liam to know that he didn’t like this either, but it would be better if he continued. Not all their problems were supernatural and had to be solved with equal measures “He was drunk and kept pushing, kept… trying to convince me to sleep with him, but he didn’t like it when I said no, that I already had someone”

“Mister Raeken, I assume?” The headmaster spoke, only then lifting his eyes from the paper, his glasses now almost on the tip of his nose “The ‘someone’ you assured him you had was Mister Raeken, correct? I have to ask, I’m afraid, I see you two are together, but I have to ask”

“Yes, Liam made it perfectly clear he was taken and I was there, I _spoke_ to him” The man looked up again, middle finger pushing his glasses back to their original position, eyes on Theo now, concentrated “I told him to get his hands off of Liam, which, clearly got his attention because he hadn’t believed Liam to be telling the truth about me”

“And I used that to get away from him” Liam spoke, his hand reaching for Theo’s, now that he felt close to almost no pain if he didn’t move much “And we just went home, I went to class the next day, Theo started his at the Marine Bio Academy, we moved on”

“Did you tell anyone about the assault?” The headmaster asked.

“No, I just wanted to forget it happened” Liam sighed, breathing better now that Theo had taken most of the edge off his muscles “Theo and I talked, worked ourselves through it. But after practice today, _he_ walked in here, talking shit and… and” Liam’s nails dug into the back of Theo’s hand, the wolf holding back tears as the words the man had spoken flooded back to his ears.

“It’s okay, I got you” Theo spoke, bringing Liam’s hand to his mouth and just pressing his lips to the skin, his other arm passing around Liam’s shoulders carefully, slowly, making sure he wouldn’t hurt him even more “I’m sorry you have to visit those moments again, baby, but it’s necessary”

Liam opened his eyes and Theo caught the tear that rolled out with his thumb, licking it. Liam huffed, rolling his good eye, earning a kiss to the side of his head. Liam sighed, turning back to the other people in the room, who he had almost completely forgotten were there.

“He… I’m guessing he did some research on who I was” Liam nodded when the headmaster’s eyebrows arched “I never told him my name or that I played Lacrosse, so he had to do some digging to find me in the locker room and he waited until everybody left, making his way inside”

“Liam” The headmaster sighed, removing his glasses to look at the boy who seemed tiny on the large bed “I’m going to ask you this question and I _need_ you to be 100% honest with me, with us, alright?” Liam nodded, already knowing what that question was “When he was able to overpower you, did he manage to start or even _complete_ intercourse?”

“What?" Theo’s head snapped up to look at the man, shock mixed with something like anger taking over his face. It wasn’t the same anger his Chimera felt, but it was anger nonetheless “Are you implying that Liam had _sex_ with him?!”

“I’m asking if he _forced_ the sexual act on Liam” The headmaster spoke, voice not getting louder, but still able to shut Theo in a way only teachers could, his brown eyes sharp on him “It’s _obvious_ Liam didn’t want it”

“He got angry when _I_ got angry” Liam spoke, his hand fisting the fabric of Theo’s shirt, the Chimera’s attention back on him “He asked for it again, offered, I guess, for us to, you know…” Liam rested his forehead against Theo’s stomach, the Chimera’s fingers running through his hair in a heartbeat “And I got angry that I was going to have to deal with him, so I cursed, said some bad things…”

“What kind of things?” The headmaster spoke, hand reaching once again for the file he had been filling out moments before.

“I said he was crazy to think I’d ever say yes to being with him” Theo chuckled, fingers pressed tight into Liam’s skin, the wolf smiling up at him “I mean, I might have said it with a bit more cursing involved, but that’s what I said, yeah” Liam shrugged, ignoring the pain that was starting to return to his muscles “He threw the first punch when I said he couldn’t possibly ever have anything to offer me” Liam sighed “But he’s twice my size, I couldn’t stand a chance against him”

Liam squeezed Theo’s hand, the Chimera picking up on the lie immediately. Liam’s heart did this thing whenever he lied, like a little twitch, almost impossible to catch, but it was there, loud and clear. Liam could have sent the guy running just by flashing his eyes, but what good would that have done? It was infuriating to think Liam had to pretend to be weak, so he could continue to live his life pretending to be normal.

“But Robert got to me before he could try anything… more” Liam continued, Robert nodding his head in a bro gesture, a smile on his lips “Don’t think he would’ve, though, there was this one moment he realized what he had done, he seemed… scared that he had hurt me this much” liam shrugged, unable to explain “Robert got to us before he could walk away”

“Do you think there was ever any _real_ danger of sexual assault?” The headmaster asked, as if this was the most important question of all. If Liam said yes, the man’s only choice would be to follow protocol and expel the student, contact law enforcement if needed “Honest answer, Liam, do you think he _was_ there to rape you?”

“Yes” Liam spoke, his blue eyes locked with the man’s. Theo closed his eyes, opening them only when he focused on the ceiling. Because Liam’s heart remain steady as always, instead of jackhammering against his ribcage, or twitching, like it had mere minutes before “That’s what he wanted when he walked into the locker room and, maybe he changed his mind along the way, I don’t care. I’m not living on a maybe, so if you want me to _ever_ feel comfortable in this school again, you’re going to have to do something about this”

“We will, Liam, I can guarantee you that” The headmaster spoke “Your name will be sealed on the complaint and you will receive a week to recover at home…”

“No, I don’t want to stay at home” Liam spoke, pushing away from Theo, only to hiss in the process, his back aching, like he had been branded with hot iron “It won’t do me any good if I stay home, away from classes. I can’t play like this, obviously, but maybe I can help around. I can’t let him win, please, don’t send me home, I’ll be fine”

“Maybe we can arrange three instead, but it’s school protocol that you _go_ home” The headmaster stood, removing his glasses before stuffing them into the pocket of his shirt, turning to Theo “I’m sure our doctor can give you a medical release too, so you can stay with Liam, if your college agrees to give extra credit work”

“Yeah… yeah, that’d be great” Theo spoke, nodding to the doctor “Thank you” Theo rested his hand on Liam’s arm, sensing the pain was escalating quickly. Liam whimpered when he tried to move, his head snapping to look at the man next to him when he neared his bed.

“I will follow through with the complaint, Liam, rest assured of that” The man said “By the time you’re back, he will no longer be a student of ours. We will _not_ tolerate this kind of behaviour and thank you for telling us, I know it wasn’t easy”

Liam nodded, thanking the man before letting the doctor tend to him one more time. Liam reached for Robert’s hand when the man neared the bed, after the doctor gave them their papers and left, both him and Theo helping the wolf to his feet. Liam rested his head against Theo’s shoulder, whimpering when the Chimera bent over to grab his legs and pick him up, tucking Liam safe into his chest, his hand on the small of his back taking some more of his pain away. Theo was reaching his limit, but he wanted to help Liam a bit more, especially since his whole body would probably ache during the entire car ride home.

“You got him?” Robert asked, surprised Theo could lift Liam easily like that. Liam wasn’t big or anything, but he wasn’t light either. Robert knew for a fact the kid could knock down walls if he wanted to, at least on the field. Which only made it worse to see him so beaten and broken, so… fragile.

“Yeah, I got him” Theo whispered, his eyes on Liam’s face, the wolf almost asleep again. Robert grabbed Liam’s bags, walking out of the infirmary with Theo, holding the door for the Chimera.

“How long have you two been together? I never asked Liam” Robert asked, as they made their way back down the same hallway Robert had ‘guided’ Theo to Liam almost two whole hours before.

“Three years, in a couple of weeks, actually” Theo whispered, moving slowly, not wanting to startle Liam, who had finally settled into a sleep, cheek against his pec “But I’ve known him for five, we weren’t exactly friends when we first met”

“Friends to lovers, huh?” Robert smirked, eyeing Theo and Liam together. There was something... _unique_ about them, as a couple. They never had to look to know where the other was, always touching, communicating through glances, smiles full of secrets. That was the kind of relationship you only find in movies, right there.

“More like enemies to lovers” Theo answered, smirking at Robert before looking back down at Liam, not even bothering to look at the steps before going down the stairs once more “With a fucking rollercoaster of a ride in between”

“I’m glad he has you” Robert spoke as they descended the last few steps, turning towards the exit door to the parking lot “When he woke up, he was babbling and crying. And _Theo_ was the only word I could make out through all the sobbing. I grabbed his phone and held it to his ear while he talked to you, whispering your name over and over as he waited for the call to connect, like it was the only thing keeping him alive or some cheesy shit like that”

Robert joked, going to open to passenger side door so Theo could place Liam carefully on the seat, buckling him there safely. Theo took off his coat, putting it against Liam’s neck so he wouldn’t wake up with it hurting or bump his head against the window. Robert didn’t get to see the look on Theo’s face, the Chimera’s thumb caressing a bruise softly on Liam’s cheekbone.

“He’s all I have, Robert” Theo whispered, closing the door as lightly as he could, turning around to find the man already looking at him “I’ll _always_ be here for him or some cheesy shit like that”

 

 

* * *

 

 

Liam groaned, a pair of hands immediately reaching for him, warm lips on his neck. Liam inhaled deeply, feeling like there were gym weights on his chest, tons of them. Liam knew it was Theo beside him, knew they were on their bed, at home. And yet liam couldn’t find it in him to relax.

“It’s okay, baby, it’s only three a.m, you can sleep some more” Liam blinked to find Theo resting on his elbow, eyes on his despite the dark room “I’m here with you, it’s over now”

“Gotta use the bathroom” Theo smirked, standing from the bed and walking around it, over to Liam’s side. Liam groaned again, doing his best to put his feet on the ground and push himself up, Theo’s hands on his waist to steady him “Fucking human weakness”

“Hey, you could just heal, fuck what everybody is going to say” Theo spoke, slowly making his way to the bathroom, his arm around Liam’s back to give him support, the wolf putting one foot in front of the other, one step at a time “You don’t _have_ to go through this, Liam, it’s driving me insane to see you like this”

“I only have three days, Theo” Liam spoke, hands on Theo’s shoulders as he squeezed his neck, glad to let the Chimera help push his sweats down, easing him to sit on the toilet “I can do this, I’m just not used to this much pain all at once, that’s it”

Theo knelt in front of Liam, his fingers going through the wolf’s long hair. It was falling on his blue eyes and, though Theo loved playing with it, he loved getting to see those deep blue oceans more. Liam arched his good brow, eyeing Theo’s smirk, groaning at the gentle squeeze at the base of his neck.

“This is nice, getting to take care of you” Theo sighed, hating how in pain Liam smelled “Obviously, I wish it was for some other reason, not _this,_ but it feels nice, anyway” Theo scooted closer, his lips brushing Liam’s forehead softly before pulling away “You’re always taking care of me, it’s nice to return the favor for once”

“Uh… Theo?” The Chimera hummed, not really aware of Liam’s words as he traced the bruises on Liam’s shoulder, tiny black veins going up his finger as he did it, Liam following the movement with his good eye “Okay, one, what the hell are you doing? It’s bad enough that I have to _sit down_ to pee, are you really just gonna sit there and _watch?_ And two, where’s the anger? Not that I don’t like this, I do” Liam reached for Theo’s hand, brushing his lips against the Chimera’ skin for a few moments, looking back to his hazel eyes “But I expected you to be, I don’t know… flying off the handle at this point”

“Baby, I’m not going anywhere, so you might as well just pee before your bladder explodes” Theo laughed, his hand gripping Liam’s tight when the wolf groaned, smirking at him before standing, kissing the top of Liam’s head “And I _am_ angry, but I’m far more worried to let it take over. I know how strong you are, I know how strong _we_ are” Theo shrugged, hand resting on the sink as he turned to look at Liam, his other hand on his hip “I’m not saying this isn’t affecting me, because all I want is to _slaughter_ him, cause him five hundred times more pain then he ever caused you. I want to make love to you in front of him, just so he could _watch_ me make you cum, watch _me_ have what he could only crave from afar” Theo’s voice was a mere whisper at this point, never looking away from the wolf “Make him see that he could _never_ give you what _I_ can, the pleasure, the love, that you would never belong to him like you belong to me”

Liam felt his heart start beating fast at the words and Theo smiled, his hand touching the side on his face that wasn’t so hurt. Liam stretched himself up as best as he could, ready, _greedy_ for the kiss Theo was going to give him. And Theo moaned, hand moving to the back of Liam’s neck to hold him in place, tongue warm, calm and so very _hot_ against the wolf’s.

“I love you, baby and yeah, I want to kill him with my bare hands for ever touching you” Theo whispered, smiling when Liam whimpered, pleased at the thought, moving away from the wolf “But, _right_ now, all I want is to help you recover, help you forget all of it, take care of you”

“I love you too, Theo” Liam smiled, resting his elbows on his knees “But I could really use some privacy, though” Theo rolled his eyes, huffing in pure annoyance as he made his way to the door, hand on the knob before turning to look at Liam “I’ll call if I need you, I promise”

“Are you hungry? I can get some soup going in ten minutes” Liam smiled, nodding. He really was hungry, now that Theo mentioned it. Theo stepped back into the bathroom, hands on the back of Liam’s neck, bending to kiss the wolf longly on the lips “Fuck, you’re so beautiful… okay, I’m gonna go now”

Liam smiled at the closed door, at Theo’s flushed cheeks and smirk, fingers on his bottom lip as he savoured that perfect moment. He knew for a _fact_ he didn’t look even remotely _close_ to beautiful, but it was Theo’s sincerity that made his heart swell, almost too big to fit inside his chest. Liam closed his one still functioning eye when he finally saw himself, just breathing for a moment.

He looked like shit, every bit as horrible as he felt. His eye was still very swollen, completely closed now, the skin black and purple around it. Liam touched the stitches in his eyebrow, hissing as they felt tender and tingly. Fuck, he had forgotten how being human _sucked._ But he had to do this. He loved his life with Theo far too much to let a few cuts, gashes and bruises reduce him to a fucking puppy.

Liam sat on the couch, Theo’s eyes on him as he stirred a small pot on the stove. Liam had given him a cookbook the previous Christmas and had watched Theo prepare almost every recipe in it. The soup smelled amazing already, and he couldn’t wait to have some.

“Do you think you’ll be able to get enough credit to stay at home with me?” Liam asked, resting his head back, knowing Theo could hear him “I don’t want you to get in trouble or fall behind because of me, I can get around on my own”

“Like hell I’d ever let that happen, Liam” Theo spoke, turning the stove all the way down to the minimum before making his way over to Liam “I have friends that can send me their notes and, if the school won’t give me extra credit, then I’ll just make up for it later, but I am _not_ leaving you alone, ever”

Liam smiled, happy to feel Theo’s kiss on his forehead, soft hands on his shoulders as the smell of chicken and rice took over the apartment.

“Besides, I’ll still have to go to work, so I’m just glad I’ll get to be with you during the day” Theo spoke, reaching for his and Liam’s bag, opening them and getting their laptops out and placing them on their study table “School be damned”

Liam chuckled, watching Theo as he walked down the hall to the laundry room, his maroon Lacrosse bag in hands. Theo served him a large bowl of soup, setting a place on their dinner table, with a large glass of room temperature water too. Theo sat next to him, a bag of frozen green beans wrapped in a small hand towel, holding it against his eye, hand on his thigh as Liam ate, slow even though his stomach was grumbling, starving.

And Liam fell deeply asleep after brushing his teeth, curled safely into Theo’s chest, the pain manageable now that his stomach was full, the swelling of his eye going down considerably. Liam _was_ going to do this, _could_ only do this, because Theo didn’t let go of him, not even for a _second._

 

_'The boy he loves I can never be_

_because he's allergic to violets._

_And violets are too much like me'_

_-Nikita Gill, The Boy He Loves_

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Hope you guys like it!
> 
> I separated the poem, since that second part sounds a lot more like Liam's assailant talking.
> 
> Let me know what you think, okay? I have an idea for the next chapter, I'm already working on it. Now's your chance to let me know if you have any ideas, because we're nearing the end *cries*
> 
> Thanks for reading!


	15. Barely Twenty Past Six

_'You are made of magic._

_Don't you dare_

_allow yourself_

_to be treated_

_like you are any less'_

_-Nikita Gill, Tough Love_

 

Liam had a lot of trouble going back into the locker room, after the attack. It no longer felt like a place he could go to celebrate or even just shower and change in peace after a long day. Liam had been avoiding it at all costs, though he showed up everyday, to check in and help however he could. That’s what a good team captain would do and he refused to be anything less.

And though his teammates were nice and understanding, throwing him a small welcome back toast after practice, after Liam was allowed back on the team by the school doctor, it wasn’t enough to make him forget the feeling of lying there, on the cold, humid floor, beaten and broken. _Hopeless._ A creature as majestic as a Werewolf should _never_ have to feel hopeless…

Liam wouldn’t dream of staying in there alone, could feel himself shivering at the thought. So, now, he headed straight home, still in his uniform. And Theo never said anything, something Liam was very thankful for. Theo didn’t push, didn’t try to tell him to get over it. Theo would just kiss him every time he walked through the door, grabbing his bag and dirty uniform and throwing it in the washer.

Robert still lived in town, though he no longer stopped by every day. Especially after his graduation, which Liam and Theo had been invited to. Liam had been a tad nervous about going to a bar, but he wouldn't let his past experiences stop him from celebrating his friend’s achievement. Besides, Theo didn’t let go of him, not even for a second. The Chimera’s hand was always on him, somehow, touching him _somewhere._

They still saw each other, on weekends and texted back and forth pretty much everyday. Liam felt really blessed to have friends and all, but having Robert to rely on was different, with his experience as team captain and with everything they had gone through together.

But Liam wasn’t the only one having trouble recovering. He woke up the next day, still sleepy from the dinner Theo had made him and from being _completely_ tangled up with the Chimera. But he woke up, to Theo shaking, pained, almost impossible to catch whimpers by his ear. And Liam knew what it was. His hands, though a bit sweaty, reached for Theo’s hair, the Chimera hugging him so tight his ribs could break. Which wasn’t a pleasant feeling, since most of Liam’s upper body was covered in bruises.

But he didn’t care. He moved, pushing Theo away as best as he could, all his weight being supported by his left elbow as he grabbed Theo’s face, whispering softly to the Chimera, gripping his shoulder and shaking him a bit.

“Theo? You’re having a nightmare, wake up” Liam didn’t want Theo to wake up startled, but all the Chimera did was whimper louder, his hand fisting the shirt Liam was wearing to sleep “Hey, it’s okay, open your eyes for me, come on”

It took Liam almost three whole minutes to get Theo to let go of his dream world and wake up. As soon as his eyes focused, he closed them, hugging himself to Liam even more, crying out in that childish way of his. Liam smiled, passing his arms around Theo’s shoulders, fingers in his hair, just letting Theo calm down.

“I’m sorry…” Theo whispered after long moments, once he begun to breathe normally. He sighed, moving from where he was, half laid on top of Liam’s chest, leaning into the touch the wolf had on his cheek, his eyes closed.

“It was about me, wasn’t it?” Liam whispered back, his good eye following as Theo laid back on the bed, their hands immediately reaching for each other, their fingers intertwined.

“Yeah” Theo rubbed his hand across his face, getting rid of the ache in his eyes, bringing Liam’s hand up for a kiss “I’m sorry I ruined your sleep, baby”

“Nonsense” Liam smiled, moving slowly to lay back on his side, his arm circling Theo’s waist. Theo let go of his hand, passing his arm around Liam’s shoulders, pulling the wolf closer “Do you want to tell me about it?”

“Oh, you know, same old” Theo spoke, unhappy that it was already day outside “Dread doctors, Tara. But it got different, at one point” Theo grabbed the blanket they had completely forgotten about, draping it over them, hugging Liam again “You were there too, we were at the hospital. Not when you got shot, but when I locked you in the elevator and distracted the Riders”

“Oh, the stupidest thing you’ve ever done, you mean?” Liam joked, his hand going up Theo’s chest, stopping right on top of the Chimera’s chest, his smile growing when Theo chuckled, his arm tightening its grip on the wolf.

“Yeah, that night” Theo let his hand play with Liam’s fingers, holding onto his hand tightly, as if it would work to keep him on the ground because, suddenly, he was made of helium “Let’s just say, in my dream, I had to make a decision and some people weren’t pleased that I chose my hot headed boyfriend-to-be”

Liam kissed Theo, letting his lips linger against the soft, smooth skin of his torso, squeezing his hand. There weren’t words Liam could say that would suddenly make all of that mess disappear. So, all he did was let Theo hold him, remind the Chimera they had survived hell and nothing was going to break them apart.

Though Liam felt less like mush when they stood up from their bed, it was still hard for him to move. Theo kept telling him to take it easy, that the only reason he was at home too was to make sure Liam didn’t have to worry about anything, but Liam hated leaving everything in Theo’s hands. The Chimera brushed it off, moving into the kitchen to get started on lunch.

“It’s not really different than most days, Liam” Theo spoke, rolling his eyes when Liam walked into the kitchen, grabbing himself a cutting board, a kitchen knife and the potatoes Theo had grabbed from the pantry to get started on a stew, tomatoes as well “Careful with that knife, alright? You don’t need another cut and we don’t have any medical supplies at home if you slash your finger off”

And in spite of Theo’s kisses, hugs, silly jokes and endless teasing, time still crawled by. Liam stood there, arms around himself, head tilted back, easily letting a moan escape his parted lips as he let Theo in, the Chimera hugging his waist for a long moment, before leaving. Theo kissed his forehead, holding his face in between his hands.

“Call if you need me, okay? _Call_ me” Liam nodded, watching as Theo threw his jacket over his shoulder and grabbed the car keys “Laters, baby”

Liam smiled, waving Theo goodbye. And the apartment immediately felt too big, much too quiet. Liam made his way to the living room, where Theo had felt their laptops already plugged and turned his on, knowing he’d have emails to answer and homework to catch up on. He refused to think about any of it when Theo was there to keep him company, thinking that time would go by faster if he had something to focus on for when Theo wasn’t.

But still, Liam couldn’t focus. He left the tv in the living room on, to rid the apartment of that haunted aura, grabbing himself a large mug of tea before sitting to get started on sorting the mess his life had become in just twenty four hours.

His senses got the worst of him. Liam hated the feeling of being watched, how the hairs on the back of his neck kept standing, goosebumps spreading across his skin despite all the windows being closed. Liam wasn’t one to look over his shoulder, it was stupid to think something so small, a _human,_ was able to do this to him. And Liam imagined things. Things that weren’t there, shadows he had to give a second glance, sounds he took a bit too long to identify, his heart racing for no reason.

That’s how Liam found himself reaching for his phone, though he didn’t call Theo. The last thing Liam needed, wanted, was to worry Theo. So he called Mason, his friend picking up on the second ring, nearly biting Liam’s head off for not calling more often.

And Mason yelled even more, after Liam told him what happened. Mason remained silent for a whole two seconds but Liam knew better than to expect anything less than screaming from his best friend. He turned down the volume from the tv, sighing as he let Mason talk shit on the other end of the line, his tea forgotten on their study table.

“Where the fuck is Theo, huh?” Mason said, suddenly not off topic anymore “Put him on the phone, I wanna talk to that little piece of…”

“Theo left for work, maybe forty minutes ago” Liam sighed, extra careful when he pinched the bridge of his nose, avoiding any of the stitches, knowing he’d have to break it again and fix it himself soon, since the doctor hadn’t done that great of a job.

“Why the hell is he not there with you?!” Liam had to get the phone away from his ear, his supernatural hearing damaged since now there was a ringing muffling most of sounds there.

“Because he’s already skipping school to take care of me, Mason, I don’t want him to lose his job for me too” Liam answered, sighing “Look, I’m fine, I’ll _be_ fine, I just needed to hear a familiar voice, that’s all. He’ll be back by seven thirty, I’ll come up with a way to keep myself in check tomorrow. Now enough about me and Theo, how are you and Corey?”

Their conversation lasted for only half an hour, much to Liam’s dismay. Liam made Mason _swear_ he wouldn’t tell Scott, or anyone else. They would just feel guilty for lying to their Alpha and the last thing Liam needed was Scott crossing into another Alpha’s territory without permission, over some stupid bruises. ‘Cause that totally sounds like something a McCall would do, right?

“You can’t expect me _not_ to tell Corey, he’ll know I’m hiding something as soon as he looks at me and it’ll just make things worse” Mason argued and Liam couldn’t help but roll his good eye, his hand lifting to feel around the soft swell that was his other one.

Theo arrived home that night and that’s when Liam finally started breathing again. Theo walked straight into the kitchen, grabbing the sides of Liam’s neck and kissing his mouth deeply, the two of them swallowing each other’s moans. Liam hugged the Chimera’s waist, happy, really _fucking_ happy to just let Theo have his way with him, nuzzling his neck, soft hands touching him.

After only a single moment with Theo, the last three and a half hours had completely vanished from Liam’s mind. Theo pulled back from their hug, brushing Liam’s hair away from his face.

“You seemed distressed, smelled it on you while I was parking” Theo whispered, his hazel eyes looking a lot more like a hot chocolate brown under their kitchen light, his eyebrow furrowed slightly in concern “I thought there was something wrong”

“There _was,_ actually” Liam joked, leaning into the soft kiss Theo planted by his eyebrow, the Chimera’ scent warm and _familiar_ “But you already fixed it”

Theo smirked, holding Liam by the back of the neck to pull their mouths together. Liam got started on making them sandwiches for dinner while Theo took a quick shower. Liam smiled, laughing and protecting their food when Theo shook his wet hair near him, water all over the wolf.

“I’m sorry, I thought I was dating a Chimera, not a dog” Liam joked, moving towards the fridge to get them two soda cans. Theo smiled, despite the towel wrapped loosely around his head, using it to dry out his hair as best as he could.

“Oh, so we’re going there?” Theo smirked, throwing his towel on the marble counter, his hands coming to hold Liam’s waist, lifting his hoodie, the Chimera moaning when he found Liam wore nothing _but_ the hoodie “We’re getting started on the dog jokes, Dunbar?”

Liam doubted Theo would ever know just how much he truly meant to the wolf. After dinner, they sat on the couch, with Theo pulling his legs to rest on top of his, his arm around Liam’s shoulders, nuzzling his hair, Liam felt _safe._ No more shadows, sounds. There was nothing. There was only Theo, laughing at the stupid Netflix tv show they had decided to binge watch this time, making snarky comments and kissing Liam in places that made the wolf feel hot all over.

Oh, but Theo left for work again, the following day. And after a pretty Goddamn awesome day with him, Liam thought, _actually_ thought he could do it. Liam thought he could stay at home and find something to distract himself with for three and a half hours. But he _hated_ the feeling of being alone. It wasn’t so much the being haunted and watched anymore. It was just that he missed the Chimera, the silence and solitude he once enjoyed so dearly now making his skin crawl.

So Liam changed into his All Stars, pulling on a worn out pair of jeans and one of Theo’s sweaters under his Winter coat and walked the long way to Theo’s job. He grabbed his wallet and the book Theo had given him the week before. They were seven days away from Halloween and, despite their apartment being decorated for about, well, the entire month of October now, it was quite the view to see lit up, carved pumpkins taking over the street, on people’s doorsteps, paper bats glued to the windows of almost every shop, creepy broomsticks in weird places, with vampire fangs and fake blood everywhere.

Let’s not even get started on how many skeletons and coffins Liam had seen people carrying around town. He had bought a lot of stuff for their apartment, since he liked getting to decorate his own home, getting Theo hooked in the Holiday spirit, but he hadn’t gone all out like these people.

And people stared and talked, of course they did, but Liam couldn’t care less, honestly. All he had to do was get to Theo and everything else would fall into place, none of it mattered to him. And, to top if all off, as if Liam wasn’t feeling shitty enough, there was some _chick_ hitting on Theo, _his_ Theo.

Theo knew the girl was trouble the second she looked at him. Theo kept himself focused, smiling at clients and being polite as always, doing his best not to gag at the spark of arousal that was _clearly_ coming from her. It’s not like Theo didn’t _know_ he was good looking, but he had already used his own body too many times to appreciate someone eyeing him like that.

And no, Liam didn’t tell him he was hot. Well, of course he _did_ , when they were tangled up in their bed or flirting with each other. It was their thing. Liam believed him. But Liam always _looked_ at him, actually saw him, with such devotion and reverence in his eyes that got Theo weak in the knees just to think about it.

All this girl was going to get was Theo in trouble if she kept this shit up.

She pretended to look around the store, grabbing a couple of magazines and flipping through the pages. With her long chocolate brown hair, she circled a strand around her index finger, a pair of some fancy fashion brand sunglasses on the top of her head, her eyes on Theo every couple of seconds. Really, she was as subtle as a fucking horse.

Theo cursed under his breath when Josh told him he was going out on his break. There were other people who worked for the store, obviously, but he couldn’t just straight up yell for someone to come rescue him. That would just be too obvious. So he sucked it up, for lack of a better term, and took his time with the last two clients before her turn arrived.

But, unlike what Theo expected, she didn’t try anything. Which got him seriously confused, not that he wanted her to start hitting on him. But she wasn’t the reason there was a smile spreading across his face, nor was having her phone number being slid across the counter towards him on a business card.

No.

It was Liam.

Liam’s heartbeat, just down the block. Theo fought back the urge to look out the window, look for _Liam,_ moving on with his sale, ignoring the longing stares and lip bites the girl kept throwing at him. Theo could practically _taste_ Liam’s jealousy once the Werewolf stopped outside, his hand gripping the doorknob perhaps a little too tight. Theo wouldn’t be surprised if there was a hand print left behind on it.

“Look, I’m sorry, but I’m just not interested” Theo spoke lowly, knowing very damn _well_ Liam could hear him, handing the girl, Sarah said her business card, her change and bag, sliding the card back towards her “And it’s _really_ not nice of you to hit on me when my boyfriend is standing right over _there”_

The girl kept her eyes on the ground the whole time, making her way outside without another word. Theo smirked, resting his hands on the counter, eyes on Liam’s messy hair, leather jacket and book tucked under his arm. Liam followed her outside with his furious gaze, but his feet were already walking towards the Chimera.

The shop wasn’t busy, Josh was still off on his break and, well fuck it. Liam made his way to the counter, grabbing Theo’s uniform and bringing their mouths together. Theo smiled, not moving a muscle, not moving from where he stood, letting Liam have it his way with him.

“Feeling possessive over me, Liam?” Theo whispered, eyes opening to watch the wolf as soon as they pulled apart. Liam huffed, hands gripping his book tightly.

“You’re mine, Theo” Liam whispered so stupidly low even Theo would’ve had trouble hearing him, had he not been giving Liam all of his attention even since picking up on his heartbeat outside.

“You can bet your gorgeous ass I am” Theo smirked, knowing he’d tease Liam forever. Oh, but he _adored_ this, his Liam all flushed, grabbing the back of his neck to pull him in for another kiss. They rested their foreheads together, just breathing for a second “Is everything okay, baby?”

“Yeah, just missed you” Liam smiled, pulling away with a long sigh, his blue eyes looking dark with pure, uncaged _want,_ biting his lip as he took a step back “I’ll just go read at the café, finish the book you gave me” Indeed, the bookmark was maybe thirty pages away from the ending and Theo knew just how badly Liam had waited for that book to come out “Get some pie to take home with us before they run out for the night”

“Alright, baby” Theo whispered, his hand slowly letting go of Liam’s as the wolf walked backwards towards the door “See if you can get a slice of that white chocolate tart of theirs” Liam smiled, nodding, before making his way to the door.

It was surprisingly _good_ to be able to tune into Liam’s heartbeat just over the next shop, as Theo worked. It wasn’t distracting, like Theo thought it would be. He could almost hear Liam’s eye roll when he celebrated inside the backroom of the shop, getting a client a book he had ordered online, the wolf paying for two extra large slices of the white chocolate tart Theo had fallen in love with.

Seriously, why hadn’t they done this before?

Theo and Liam made their way home that night, sitting on their kitchen counter, all lights turned off, with two forks and all sorts of pie in between them. Theo stood across from Liam, the wolf sitting on one of the stools. They shared bites, tasting each other’s tongues every few moments.

And months passed. Theo surprised Liam by showing up on campus on his first day back in school, though Liam wasn’t allowed to play yet, he wanted to still be the team captain he had promised he’d be. And his teammates teased and laughed, their light hearted joking getting really out of hand when Liam gave them the finger, walking towards his boyfriend, resting against the bleachers.

Theo went straight for his mouth and the _crowds went wild!_ Liam chuckled against Theo’s lips, hands sliding under his leather jacket as the Chimera held his neck, pulling away slowly, long moments later, their tongues making the most sinful of noises.

_Yeah! Show him who’s boss, Liam!_

Theo chuckled, his arms wrapping around Liam, kissing his cheek. Liam hid himself against Theo’s chest, his cheeks turning a deep shade of red.

“I just wanted to check in on you” Theo whispered, his eyes soft and amused as he used two fingers to make Liam look at him, touching his chin softly “Make sure everything’s okay”

“I’m fine, nothing happened today” Liam whispered back, his body immediately forgetting how cold it was outside. Theo smiled, nuzzling his cheek and yup, Liam felt warm all over, completely and totally ignoring the teasing and joking of his teammates, the harsh wind attacking them “Thank you, for coming”

“Always, baby” Theo winked, kissing him one last time before starting to walk, careful steps backwards, his eyes still locked with Liam’s “See you tonight, captain”

Winter was almost upon them and it was harder and harder to leave the bed in the morning. Months passed and now they were almost done with their school year, a-fucking-men. Months passed and Liam’ skin healed. His skin healed, smooth and pale and _untouched_ by any hands other than Theo’s, warm under his palms.

Liam complained, along the way, that Theo was distant. Liam had tried, more than once, he was proud to admit, to get Theo in the mood, maybe by kissing his neck, touching him warmly. But Theo refused to sleep with him, every time. Not because he didn’t want to, cause  _fuck,_ he did, but because Liam still wasn’t healed. His body just wasn’t ready for it, because Theo doubted he’d be able to stop himself once he had Liam again.

But, under the covers, on the morning of their last day of school on Freshman year… Well, it started the night before, really. They had barely slept, hiding in their large bed, just whispering to each other in the dark.

And doing all _sorts_ of dirty, _dirty_ things.

“Let’s just stay at home today” Theo whispered, his arm circling around Liam’s waist, his mouth gluing to the wolf’s collarbone, going up his long neck, kissing and licking the marble looking skin. Liam looked sharp, all hard muscle, but he was oh _so_ soft to the touch “It’s fucking cold outside and I just want to stay buried in you all day, baby”

Liam moaned, eyes closed and biting his lips, his fingers going through Theo’s hair as he laid further on his back, opening up for the Chimera. He was so far gone Liam held on to his control for dear life, knowing that, if Theo kept his attack on his skin, all _over_ his body, he was going to give in. Theo took that opportunity to kneel on the bed, in between Liam’s legs, pushing them open, smirking against the wolf’s skin.

“I’d like that very much, Theo, but we have to go to class today” Liam smiled at Theo growling, rolling his eyes fondly. All Liam did to respond to him was bite his bicep. Theo’s hips bucked, pulling away from Liam’s body to look at what he was doing, his lips wet with saliva from the spot he had been sucking on, just beneath Liam’s ear. Theo hissed, at the sudden rush of pain mixed with pleasure, biting his lips, unable to look away. Liam smiled, removing his teeth from Theo’s arm and licking the wound closed, his hands caressing their way up Theo’s smooth, large back, into his tangled up sex hair “You and I _have_ to go because we signed up for a lot of extra credit activities today and we can’t just stay at home, fucking”

Liam whispered into Theo’s ear, pulling at the Chimera’s earlobe with his teeth, softly, _slowly,_ whimpering as he arched his naked body against Theo’s, circling his waist tightly to pull him closer. Theo groaned, opening his eyes to look at how bashful Liam looked under him, hugged to his body in the pale 4 a.m. light. It was a fucking understatement to say Liam had mastered the art of driving Theo crazy.

“If this is you _trying_ to convince me to leave this bed some time today, then you’re doing a monumentally _horrible_ job, baby” Theo spoke, his words teasing yet truthful. They _wouldn’t_ leave the bed if Liam kept working his magic like that.

Liam smiled, pulling himself away from Theo to look up at the Chimera, whose eyes were _hungry_ on his body, his pupils blown wide as he bit his lip. It was clear Theo had grown to love it when Liam teased him, but they were still spreading their horizons, slowly. They had done a lot of kinky shit, they couldn’t deny that, but this was who they really were, as a couple.

“I’m not saying we can’t” Liam spoke, his hands going up Theo’s arms until his were around the Chimera’ shoulders “But we can’t shut the world out either. I’m all yours, Theo, you can have me any time of the day. But you _can_ wait until we’re back home, right?”

All Theo could do was groan, his mouth back on Liam’s neck, right over his pulse point, pushing into it with his tongue. Liam chuckled as he hugged Theo, the Chimera loving every second he got to hear the wolf’s laughter.

“It’s bad enough we’re gonna have the pack over for Christmas, their scent all over our home” Theo growled at his own brain reminding him, biting softly at Liam’s neck “All over you”

“You can use it as an excuse to fuck me, mark me _good_ and cover our home with the scent of our… what are we going to call it? Fucking? Lovemaking? Or just sex?”

Theo rolled his eyes, smiling even when Liam pushed him away, deciding it was his turn to kiss Theo’s cheek, slowly guiding his tongue down to the Chimera’s chest, teasing his left nipple. Theo moaned, his hips shamelessly humping Liam’s. Theo couldn’t withstand this kind of torture, Liam’s warm, skilled tongue sending shivers all the way down to his cock, making it grow incredibly harder, his hand going up his neck, fisting his hair.

“Please, Liam…” Theo whispered in between moans, pushing his pec against Liam’s mouth.

“Please what?” Liam pulled away from Theo’s nipple long enough to whisper the words, his tongue sucking hard on it, making the Chimera hiss, his dick pressed hard against Liam’s, the head already leaking on to the wolf’s naked stomach.

“Please, _please,_ let me fuck you, make love to you, anything, baby” Theo pleaded, his head fisting Liam’s hair to push him further against his nipple, the wolf’s other hand teasing the right one, rocking back against Theo’s hips. It was all too _fucking_ much.

“But you were _in_ me, Theo, not an hour ago” Liam gasped, moving his mouth to tease Theo’s neglected nipple, pinching hardly at the one that was wet and sensitive. Theo groaned loudly, squeezing Liam tightly. Liam let go of it, leaving it to recover from his harsh attack, his hands now on Theo’s back, touching the smooth skin, feeling the hard muscles, going down to the Chimera’ ass, pushing their hips together, grinding.

Theo moaned, bracing himself better on the bed, letting Liam do whatever he wanted to him, loving to be teased by him. Ever since Liam had become his Anchor, Theo experienced their sex differently. It was all heightened, more intense in every sense of the word. And Liam had been patient through that adjustment, taking the lead more and showing Theo exactly what it was that the Chimera had made him feel all this time. Liam pulled at his nipple softly with his teeth, letting go of it to lay down on the bed, admiring his work.

“Get in me, Theo, _fuck_ me”

Theo didn’t have to be told twice. He pushed the covers down, their bodies growing ridiculously warmer by the second. He spit on to his hand, lustfully watching Liam lazily jerk himself off, using his wet fingers to open his tight ass. Liam’s eyes rolled back, his hand stilling on his dick. Theo teased him shortly, just enough to get him somewhat wet, not _nearly_ as well as he would’ve liked. He was way too far gone for that.

Liam reached for his waist, hands on the sides of his body, skin almost _too_ fucking hot against his own, pulling him closer still. Theo let Liam guide his dick in, the two of them moaning, smiling when they caught each other already staring. Theo didn’t waste a second, hands on the mattress, bracing himself.

Theo didn’t bother starting slow, given that Liam’s body was perfectly used to the intrusion at this point. After fucking in the tub, on the couch and twice on their bed already, it was safe to say Liam was ready for him. Theo pumped his dick into Liam’s sweet, sweet ass, pounding into him like his life dependd on it. Liam opened up for him, neck exposed as he threw his head back, unable to stand still for long.

He kissed Theo’s arm, his chest, pulling the Chimera down. Liam whimpered all sorts of naughty things into Theo’s ear, arms hugging his back, blunt human nails digging into his muscles. No, none of it was slow like Theo wanted. After the attack, after seeing Liam crumble and built himself up again, this wasn’t how Theo wanted to get their lives back to normal. That included getting their sex life back on track, despite how fucking mortified Theo felt.

Theo didn’t mind the sudden lack of sex, since it was clear Liam _wanted_ him, but his body just wasn’t ready for that kind of contact. Theo was somewhat afraid touching Liam would trigger memories, that it would be traumatic, but it wasn’t. As soon as the last bruise faded away and Liam no longer cried out from pain _everywhere_ in his body, he opened up to Theo’s touches, his lips and hands, begging for it, glad to have the Chimera all over him again.

It hadn’t been slow then and it wasn’t being slow now.

Theo wanted to fuck Liam all morning, lazily pump his dick into the wolf, stay in bed wrapped around him. Theo would never get enough of watching Liam fall apart, over and over, the wolf moaning _his_ name, gripping _his_ body. But this was so much better. It was the _rush_ of it all, the sweat, the sounds their bodies made as they slammed against each other.

They had gone slow plenty of times, but it was something they reserved for special occasions. Many people would consider their last day of Freshman year a special occasion, but not when you have ‘Survived the Dread Doctors, Ghost Riders and the Goddamn Apocalypse’ on your resumé. To them, a special occasion was surviving another year, their anniversary, which Theo never forgot again. It was Theo’s birthday, which the Chimera had grown to expect and _want_ to celebrate because it meant another day he got to eat cake and get presents. Liam always got that kind of sad smile whenever he saw Theo opening a present, knowing how much they meant to the Chimera.

But Liam was, by far, the best gift Theo had ever received. The wolf moaned under him, his hands warm and demanding, legs wrapped so tight around his waist Theo barely had room to move.

“Fucking hell, Theo…” Liam moaned, his words coming out muffled as he did his best not to wake up their neighbours, since it _was_ barely twenty past six in the morning. But there was just so much Liam could do, with Theo inside him, his cock spreading him so wide Liam was damn _sure_ people would be able to notice what they had done.

“Oh, baby” Theo hid his face against Liam’s neck, nuzzling his skin roughly. Liam hooked his ankles, his heels digging into Theo’s ass, urging him on. Maybe it was the way Theo moaned into his ear, or how he whispered his name over and over again, like a mantra, how surrounded and trapped into Theo Liam was that did it for him. Liam couldn’t pinpoint what it was, exactly, but he came, not a moment later, not a word of warning out of his mouth “That’s it, baby, give it to me”

Liam spread his legs wide for Theo, hugging the Chimera despite how strongly his orgasm washed over him. Theo gripped him tighter, hands going down to his waist, the air being almost knocked right out of his lungs at how tight Liam’ ass squeezed him.

And it was enough. Theo came, a guttural moan being ripped out of his chest as he shot hot cum into Liam’s tight, delicious ass. Liam had teased him, bringing back the night Theo had cum… well, there weren’t words for _that._ Theo had actually felt himself blush, Liam smiling at him and wrapping his arms around his waist.

Theo fell on top of Liam, suddenly all the strength had vanished from his body. The wolf huffed, his hands caressing his back and hair, legs tired and sticky. They remained in bed for a few more moments, just breathing. Theo returned the gentle touch Liam had on him, never seeming to get enough of the wolf.

“You’re fucking amazing, you know that?” Theo spoke, sighing, satiated. He rested himself on an elbow, happy to see Liam smile wide at him, nodding.

“I do, you tell me that all the time” Liam grabbed Theo by the back of the neck, pulling him down for another kiss. Theo growled into his mouth, his hands circling Liam’s waist, pulling the wolf towards the end of the bed. Liam yelped, his arms hugging Theo’ shoulders, legs around the Chimera’s waist when he stood up, bringing Liam with him.

Theo took them to the shower before their bodies ran cold. And yes, it was fucking snowing and there was almost hale falling. It was an ugly ass day outside. Theo made them breakfast, all with Liam playing some stupid Christmas song on his Spotify. It had taken Theo a long time to _understand_ Christmas and why people seemed to like it so much, but he only was able to start enjoying the eggnog, the presents and the whole shebang when he gave up. It made Liam happy and it wasn’t even close to being his least favorite time of the year, anyway. Theo could handle Christmas, could even appreciate Christmas, though he still couldn’t see the point of it all.

Theo dropped Liam off, something he had insisted on doing ever since Winter had hit the city. There was a limit to what a Werewolf could endure and Theo would be damned if he ever let Liam face _this_ shit show to go to school. Liam grabbed his bag, thankful that Lacrosse season was officially over, throwing it over his shoulder before turning to Theo, the Chimera already looking at him.

“Just one more day” Liam whispered, his arm around Theo’ shoulder, bringing their mouths together for a slow, warm kiss. They still had couple of minutes, so Liam took his time, letting his tongue beg for entrance and, once Theo gave it to him, fight the Chimera the same delicious battle they had called a truce on a mere hour before “I expect an even _more_ amazing fuck when I get home tonight” Liam smirked at his boyfriend, hand reaching for the door to open it. Theo returned his smile, biting his lip to stop himself from reaching for Liam and  _not_ letting him leave “Oh, and dinner, it’s your turn to cook”

Theo smirked, eyes on Liam as he watched the wolf greet some people, shivering despite his thick Winter coat, making his way inside. Theo rolled his eyes fondly when Liam turned to wave at him, before disappearing through the doors. It was just something they did and it never failed to bring a smile to Theo’s face.

Their days passed by just fine, Christmas break was just around the corner. Well, it had already started for them, though Theo still had to go to work for a couple more days. Scott, Malia, Mason, Corey, Stiles, Derek, Lydia and even Parish were all going to be there for Christmas dinner and to exchange presents. And hey were _still_ waiting to see who else would be able to come, the list on stand by. Liam had been going crazy, trying to find everyone presents, on top of finding Theo’s.

Oh, Theo got Liam a lot of things. It wasn’t easy for him, this whole gift giving thing. Specially when Liam wasn’t the easiest person to gift. The wolf had so much to his personality, so many things he liked, it was hard for Theo to think of only one thing. So Theo got him two new books, a new Stranger Things hoodie, because Theo _may_ or _may not_ have put Liam’s old one in the washer with his Lacrosse uniform and the white fabric had turned into a deep winy color.

Theo also got Liam a new pair of headphones and, in his humble opinion, the most special one, a golden whistle. Yup, that’s right. Liam was officially going to be helping his Coach, having accepted the position the school had offered him. It was to work on Saturdays, since Liam had to maintain an almost perfect score on every subject to keep his scholarship, but it was some extra income and well, it wasn’t always that Harvard wanted their Lacrosse team to be ‘more like Liam Dunbar’. Theo had had a field day with that, teasing Liam endlessly, though he was supportive of Liam accepting the job.

And hell, it had been flipping _hard_ to find a golden whistle, alright?

But Liam? Liam got Theo a  _puppy,_ among other things, of course.

Liam went grocery shopping, with a long list and plenty of time in his hands. He had decided to take his time with Christmas shopping this year, though this was his first time hosting the festivities. Liam had it _all_ planned out. He made sure to choose a day he knew _for sure_ Theo wouldn’t be able to go with him. Because he had to make one more stop before heading home from the supermarket and there were a few things on their grocery list that weren't Christmas related. 

And he came home with a lot of food for dinner. And a box.

Liam thanked Heavens for his supernatural speed and strength, managing to put most of the groceries away and getting everything organized before Theo walked into the living room, smelling perfectly fresh from the shower he had just taken.

“What’s in the box?” Theo spoke, using his towel to dry out his hair as much as possible, before dropping it on one of the kitchen stools, eyes on Liam.

Liam had hissed at the mistletoe he had shoved into the box, knowing he’d be thankful for that too, later. Theo sniffed, trying to identify what it was about the box that seemed to drawn him in like that, but all he could smell was the Christmas decorations his nose still hadn’t gotten used to.

“It’s your Christmas present” Liam answered, with a smile.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Hope you guys like it!
> 
> So, this chapter has been a bit of a subtle(?) time jump thing.
> 
> Let me know what you think, okay?
> 
> Thanks for reading!


	16. All Across the Continents, An Open Channel

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Insecurities...

_'You have shed_

_a thousand skins_

_to become the person_

_you are today._

 

_And if you ever feel_

_overwhelmed_

_by the many people_

_you once were,_

_remember,_

_your bones have grown,_

_but what makes them_

_has never changed'_

_-Nikita Gill, A Thousand Versions of You_

 

“It’s your Christmas present” Liam answered, with a smile. Theo looked surprised at him, his eyes back on the box that was by Liam’s feet on the other side of their apartment, eyebrows arching “Well, one of them, of course, but you’re gonna have to open it now”

“Why?” Theo spoke, immediately too aware of Liam and his mysterious gifts. Liam had always been nice to him, had given him useful and cool things, _sexy_ things even, but Theo wasn’t exactly fond of the times Liam surprised him like this “Christmas isn’t for another three days”

“I know, but this one’s special” Liam spoke, carefully kneeling to set the large, white box on the floor, further away from the kitchen counter, where the living room was the only way to go from there. Theo sighed softly, starting to make his way over, barely getting a step ahead, but Liam held up a finger “No, no, stay right where you are, don’t move”

Liam smiled at the Chimera’s confused expression, his hands reaching for the lid. Liam knew Theo didn’t like surprises all that much and it was mean of him to tease like this, but he just couldn’t help it. Not when he _knew_ how happy Theo would be.

And all four sides of the box fell when the wolf removed the lid completely and it was a complete blur from that moment on.

“Go get ‘im, boy!”

It was a dog.

A _puppy._

Theo could only stand there, staring as it ran towards him, wiggling its long tail, happily and _quickly_ making his way over. Theo knelt, almost on instinct, the pup using his warm tongue to lick at Theo’s face. He was _beautiful_ , white fur long enough for Theo to run his fingers through.

But his eyes. His eyes were… different. One was of a piercing blue, the other a warm, dark, chocolate brown. He was a rather large puppy, but was extremely well behaved, apart from his licks. He obeyed Liam as soon as the wolf got closer, his eyes flashing golden.

“You got me a dog” Theo whispered, eyes fixed on the puppy. The dog nuzzled his hand, asking to be pet again, guiding Theo’s fingers to the back of his ear. Theo smiled at the gesture, scratching the soft, thick fur “You got me a dog, Liam”

“That I did, yeah” Liam smiled, sitting down next to Theo, watching the two together. The puppy came and asked to be pet by Liam too, his long tail wiggling happily at his new owners “Theo, meet Elvis. Elvis, meet Theo”

“Elvis? Really?” Theo chuckled, his eyes back to the pup “Do you happen to be the king of rock and roll?” The puppy moved closer into Theo, licking a long stripe on his cheek, starting under his chin “Oh, okay, I'm gonna need another shower if you keep that up, buddy”

Liam could only smile, his legs crossed. Liam got from his pocket a red collar, snapping his fingers to get Elvis to sit, the puppy obeying him promptly. Liam set the collar around his long neck, testing to see if it wasn’t too tight. There was a bone shaped plaque hanging from it, with their name and phone numbers on the back, Elvis’ name on the front.

“It looks so good on you, big guy” Elvis started wiggling his tail at the praise, still sitting there in front of them, behaved “Do you like it? How about some water, huh? It was your first time in the car today and you behaved so well”

Theo could only watch, amazed. He was fucking amazed by Liam. A dog. That never crossed Theo’s mind when he saw the box. They had never talked about it, not even once, and yet, here Elvis was. Liam got Elvis water and food, setting him a space in the kitchen, with two silver recipients. Liam got a large bed from behind the counter and Theo couldn’t help but smile, watching the white, fluffy ball of a puppy run to it, rubbing himself all against it.

“Elvis is a rescue pup” Liam spoke, petting Elvis’ tummy. Those words got Theo’s attention, the Chimera still sitting on the floor “One of my teammate’s girlfriend volunteers at this huge animal center and well, I met Elvis. He’s an American White Shepherd, he’s barely six months old”

“What happened to him?” Theo asked, seeing the change in Liam’s face. It was probably a sad story, but Theo wanted to hear it. Elvis was theirs now and Theo knew they’d never allow this perfect little thing to go through any of it again.

“His previous owners moved out and left him and other two pups behind, locked up inside their house” Liam whispered, smiling sadly down at Elvis “Our new friend here was the only one who survived”

Yeah, okay, Theo understood where Liam was coming from. It was hard to ignore the fact they all had had similar lives, the lack of a proper home, being alone for a long time. And Theo was really fucking happy and utterly relieved Elvis had been found, especially by Liam, who had so much love to give. And Theo wasn’t jealous or anything, so that _had_ to be considered progress. Theo’s mind couldn’t come up with an explanation as to how people could be so cruel to something so tiny and full of love.

And no, they did nothing else that day, but stare at the newest member of their family, care and play with him. Theo watched in awe as he discovered a very paternal side of Liam he had never seen before, the wolf always worried _‘Do you think this is enough food? Every website I could find says they should eat three to four times a day, and we should walk with him, at least once a day, but now that it’s so cold, I don’t us or him on the street. I mean, yeah, I know his fur is thick and like, made for this kind of weather, but… still, I guess. I’m gonna go grab him an extra blanket, just in case…’_

Liam rambled, never sticking around long enough to hear what Theo had to say. It was amusing and endearing in the sweetest of ways, and it made Theo’s heart grow in a way he hadn’t thought was even remotely possible. Liam had already taken full control of his being, had _become_ his everything, it seemed impossible that the wolf could, once again, make him feel like flying, baffled, amazed and stupidly in love. Theo had thought Liam had taken all the space inside his heart, consuming him entirely, but now he was being proved wrong. In just a few moments, Elvis had grown on him and it was already impossible to imagine their home without the pup, so, really, Theo felt like he needed a couple of minutes, just to let it all sink in.

Liam had given him a puppy, had given _them_ a puppy. And Theo’s heart grew even more for the wolf, for the fact that Liam understood him without words being ever needed or how Liam made him numb to anything but _him._ Nothing else mattered, nothing, _no one_ could ever make Theo feel loved and secure and _know_ it would be okay if he fell in love too. And hell, they had a dog now. That’s like… having a _child,_ right? That was a huge fucking step and yet, so far so good.

Theo had never thought about… expanding their family. Liam was his, he was Liam’s. It was simple, it was _theirs._ Adding someone else just seemed like it would uneven their relationship somehow, so Theo never brought it up, not even when Liam looked all heart eyed at an infant or a baby. Theo _knew_ Liam wanted to go there, take _that_ step, but he looked the other way, every time. Theo couldn’t possibly give Liam that. He still struggled with himself, from time to time, how could he ever _take care_ of someone else? A baby?

“I know what you’re thinking, Theo” Liam whispered, sighing as he stood from checking if Elvis was too warm with the extra blanket he had given him “Don’t go there”

“You don’t have that superpower yet, Liam” Liam smiled at Theo’s tired voice. Yeah, Liam knew there was a chance this discussion would be brought up, though he, at the time, had thought they could get through it. Seeing Theo this… _lost_ made him second guess that confidence.

“I know you, Theo” Liam spoke, nearing the couch where Theo was, the Chimera’s eyes on Elvis’ sleeping form, almost as if the pup could explode, go mad or even disappear at any given moment “Tell me, did I do this right? _Tell_ me, Theo, please”

“Of course you did” Theo spoke, wanting to reach for Liam’s hand, but fisting the sleeve of his sweater instead. Physical contact always made his Chimera shut up, but right now it was screaming inside his head “I _want_ Elvis, you just took me by surprise”

“I had the idea a while back, but I wasn’t sure what you’d think of it” Liam whispered, turning to look at Theo, resting his elbows on his knees, hand on the back of his neck “I mean, this is our home, maybe you didn’t want to share it. I thought it’d be nice for us to have a companion, besides each other”

“Am I not enough?” Liam’s head snapped to look at the Chimera, his hazel eyes locked with nothing in particular, blank “I can manage a dog, Liam, but I can’t…”

“Hey, hey, look at me” Liam spoke, sliding over to Theo’s side, the Chimera not moving, despite suddenly better knowing Liam was there, touching him, warm and _there_ with him “Elvis isn’t here to make up for something you can’t give me, that’s ridiculous, Theo. Because you give me _everything”_

Liam touched the side of Theo’s face, gently coaxing him into locking eyes with the wolf instead of the floor.

“You _are_ everything I will ever want or need, Elvis is only here to improve what is already huge and amazing between us” Theo closed his eyes, happy to just let Liam rest their foreheads together. Theo squeezed his fingers even more, the fabric about to tear under his palm “Nothing could ever compare to you, Theo, no one. I’ve said it before and I’ll say it again: I. Love. You. And you alone. No ‘buts’ or ‘what ifs’. You’re mine, I’m yours and that’s _it._ I don’t need anything or anyone else”

“That’s not true” Theo accused, even though Liam’s heart had remained as steady as ever. Liam looked at him, a hurt look in his eyes at the words, his hand slowly pulling back from where it was on his face “I see the way you look at people on the street, _this_ isn’t enough and I don’t think there’s anything more I can give you”

“The fuck did I just say, huh?” Liam snapped, his voice suddenly so sharp and rough Elvis shot up, alert “People? What the fuck are you even talking about, Theo? Do you think I wouldn’t have _talked_ to you if I weren’t happy? Don’t you just _fucking_ know that by now? We promised years ago to talk through things, but I feel like we’re not on the same page here”

Theo squeezed his eyes shut. This wasn’t what he wanted, to make Liam mad or even sad. But he couldn’t help it. There was no more space left in him, he couldn’t _risk_ having anything else to love. Risk losing it all, all over again. Family. Theo had lost his, in ways Liam’s mind couldn’t possibly ever handle and there he was, _wanting_ them to start one. Almost asking Theo to be more than what he could handle. He couldn’t… _couldn’t_ be a… a _father._

He’d fight for Liam until the end of times, because he was simply too far gone on him and way too selfish to ever live without the wolf. A dog? He could work with it, since it clearly made Liam happy.

But his brain brought back all the times he had seen Liam smile at a child playing or how his face got all sad when a baby cried.

“You want to have children, don’t you?” Theo didn’t know why he gave his words a question tone, because he already knew the answer for it. Liam looked at him with a look of pure shock, like Theo had just punched him or something like that, cutting through his chest, his very _soul_ with the disgusted tone to his voice.

“I can’t say I haven’t thought about it” Liam sighed, fingers through his hair as he shut his eyes for a few seconds “But that doesn’t mean _we_ aren’t perfect, just the way we are”

“How can we be perfect if I can’t give you what you want?” Theo spoke, his eyes full of hurt and somewhat cold, yet all too ferocious looking into Liam’s ocean blue ones. The look changed on the wolf’s face, though. Theo expected the fight to go on, but all Liam did was wrap his arm tightly around Theo’s waist, scooting closer and hugging him, _holding him_  tight. Theo tried finding something to say, but his mind came back blank every time it went out searching for words.

“Theo, talk to me” Liam begged, his voice a whisper, his hands soft and warm all over Theo’s body. Liam never ceased to amaze Theo, always doing the exact _opposite_ of what the Chimera expected. Theo hadn’t seen the soft look and the gentle hands coming after having a breakdown like that. Liam was always patient, always loving with him, but Theo had seen the hurt in those deep blue eyes and he hadn’t thought there was a way to salvage the situation this time.

But he was wrong.

All Liam did was breathe him in, his nose pressed tight against the skin of Theo’s neck, nuzzling him, smelling him, lips just barely grazing his sensitive skin. And it relaxed Theo almost immediately, his hand finally getting to touch the one that it had been craving. And Liam held on to him with just as much desperation and devotion as Theo.

“Theo, please, talk to me” Liam whispered, his chin rested on Theo’ shoulder “I won’t ever allow you to believe I’m not happy with you, Theo, but what are you talking about? Why are we suddenly talking about having children?”

“Because I _know_ you want to have one” Theo whispered, too tired to fight it anymore “You want to have a baby and I can’t give you that”

“What makes you think I want a child?” Liam asked, his thumb caressing the back of Theo’s hand, his skin calloused from the Lacrosse stick.

“I know you, Liam” The wolf smiled against his skin, the warm breath of his huff making goosebumps travel all across the continents of Theo’s body “I had a family, Liam. One that I lost. I have you and it’s more than I ever thought I deserved, but I can’t bring myself to love someone else, a _baby,_ this tiny thing that would most definitely have us wrapped around his little finger… and then _lose_ him, lose you two”

Well, fuck. Now it all made sense. Theo was scared of loving another person, out of fear of something bad happening. _If something had happened to you, Liam, I’d… I’d fucking die, do you hear me?_

That’s what Theo had said after the attack. And Liam could still remember the pungent scent of fear mixed with panic that had overtaken their room, as Theo circled his arms around his waist even more, on the verge of tears as he awoke from the harshest nightmare he had had in a while.

“Picture this, okay? You, me, Elvis and… and our baby… having, I don’t know, a picnic in some park or somehing” Theo stopped breathing for a few seconds, Liam’s words shoving a perfect shot of what he had just described into his brain “But, suddenly, someone is coming after us, we’re all in danger”

Liam smiled when Theo growled, a snarl so low and haunting it would’ve made any supernatural being fall to their knees right in front of the Chimera. Theo’s hand squeezed his to the point of almost breaking his fingers, but Liam felt the touch bring comfort between them, an open channel for their souls.

“Wouldn’t you do _everything_ in your power to protect us?” Liam whispered, his hand on the back of Theo’s neck as he pulled the Chimera closer.

“Yes” Theo spit the word, feeling his claws slowly and painfully come out from under his control.

“Wouldn’t having a family make you wanna fight harder to keep it? To have the chance to live another day to love it? Wouldn't we make you stronger?” Liam whispered, mouth inches away from Theo's.

When Theo opened his eyes, he looked stormy, yet calm. Like the mere thought of someone hurting their family made Theo tap into a side of himself, of his Chimera’s instincts he hadn’t even known inhabited his being. And Liam whimpered at the power coming off of Theo in waves, sending shivers through his body as Theo opened his arm and Liam smiled, snuggling closer to the Chimera.

“I’ll slaughter _anyone_ who dares try and take my family from me” Theo whispered, his hand on the back of Liam’s neck, his fingers tightly holding on to the wolf’s hair. Liam smiled, biting his lip through it as he took in Theo’s words, his protectiveness “I love you and I do love Elvis”

Liam pushed back, away from their hug and, for a painful moment, Theo thought he had said or done something stupidly wrong, all of that power back under control at the wolf’s action. Liam’s hand went straight for his chest, a look of pure _fake_ shock as he huffed, faking annoyance, moving to stand from the couch.

Or, at least, _trying_ to stand from the couch.

“Now I’m wounded, Theo” Liam whispered, pretending to wipe a tear away as he turned, but Theo’s hands on his waist, pulling him back into him, not allowing him to take a single step forward. And, just like that, everything was okay again. Theo was smiling, growling playfully into his ear, and it made a rush of love and happiness travel through Liam’s whole being like never before.

That conversation wouldn’t be forgotten, but it was meant to be finished some other time.

And Theo’s mouth was on his neck as soon as Liam was sitting back down on the couch. Liam bit his lip to stop himself from smiling, loving just how deliciously _tight_ Theo was gripping him, touching him all over, kissing his neck and chest, _all_ over him.

“I love you, baby” Theo whispered, moving Liam’s body so the wolf couldn’t move, his body pinned down against the soft cushions of their couch. Liam gasped, the wolf inside howling at the sudden warmth that travelled through his veins. Theo leaned into him close, hands just shy of being rough, and yet they were always gentle “You come first, Liam, _always”_

 

* * *

 

“So, Corey called, he and Mason just checked into their hotel and are going to crash for a bit before getting ready to come over” Liam spoke with a smile, his friend on the other end of the line yelling at Mason for jumping on the bed with his _dirty airport clothes!_ still on, hanging up midsentence.

“Did they have a nice flight?” Theo asked, lifting his eyes from the book he had been reading, Elvis lazing around at his feet, chewing on a toy Theo had found him the day before.

They had already decorated their apartment, mostly. Their tree was brand new this year and was already up, lights ready for their dinner but Liam had wanted something _more._ And with the turkey already in the oven, he set the phone down by the coffee table, going back to decorating, well, everything. From laps, shelves, kitchen stools, even their front door had a wreath now. It was slowly truly looking like Christmas.

Everything was pretty much in motion already, kind of already started, they just had to wait a bit more before getting started on getting themselves and Elvis ready,  setting the table being the last item on Liam’s list. They didn’t have space for everyone at their dinner table so they rented one that was pretty much the same size, with extra chairs, to make sure everything would go smoothly.

Liam _needed_ it to be _perfect._

“Yeah, now that Mason’s got that fancy ass job at that marketing company, all they talked about was how nice flying first class is” Liam spoke, turning to look at Theo with a knowing smile on his face, as he took his time untangling the tinsels.

Theo huffed, bookmark in place before he stretched, patting the empty seat of the couch next to him. Liam smiled, letting the decorations fall to the floor as he walked over to the Chimera. Liam just couldn’t _resist_ it whenever Theo did that. His smirk was there, like always, but there was also a softness in his eyes only Liam had ever had the pleasure of seeing. 

“It’s gonna be okay, baby” Theo spoke, moving further back on the couch to let Liam lie down. Liam sighed, lying his head on Theo’s thigh, snuggling closer to the Chimera, circling an arm around his own legs “You’ll see, the food’s gonna be amazing, our apartment looks like Santa himself exploded in here” Liam slapped him, gasping in shock, though he couldn’t keep himself from laughing. Theo’ smile only grew larger, but he didn’t mean it. Christmas was Liam’s thing. It was his favorite thing growing up, when he was human and Theo would never let anything ruin it “Everything will be just fine”

“I know it will” Liam sighed when Theo touched his hair, leaning into the feeling. Theo smiled, his heart suddenly making his chest feel too tight at how cute Liam looked like this, curled into him, his hand glued to the fabric of Theo’ sweater, his beautiful eyes closed as he tried to look for more of the Chimera’s touch “Honestly, I’m just glad neither of us will be spending Christmas alone. I only ever spent one on my own and it was a nightmare”

“Well, this is only my third Christmas, I still don’t really have a lot of experience” Liam smiled, his fingers playing with the pendant hanging from Theo’s necklace, three engravings now on the bullet.

Their anniversary had been quite extraordinary, Liam couldn’t lie. Theo had driven them upstate on an early Sunday morning and they had enjoyed a day with good food, lots of sightseeing and then Theo hadn’t disappointed in wrapping their little road trip up, ending their day back at home, on _their_ bed, with his wicked tongue and a large canister of whipped cream.

And Theo knew exactly what Liam was reminiscing about, the sudden scent of arousal bringing back memories of his Liam, moaning as the Chimera licked whipped cream off of the wolf’s _everything._ Let’s just say Theo and Liam would have to get creative for their fourth, because they had set the bar pretty damn high already.

“We can always tell them _not_ to come, baby” Theo spoke, bringing Liam back to the present “So I can undress you right _here_ and make you forget your own name” Theo whispered against Liam’s lips, the wolf smiling. Liam passed his arms around Theo’ shoulders, letting the Chimera pull him up, lifting him until he was sitting on Theo’s lap “We could even let Elvis watch” Theo whispered against Liam’ skin, the wolf bursting into laughter, slapping his arm.

“God, no, you _pervert”_ Liam chuckled, biting his lip at the way Theo was squeezing his waist, just the tips of his fingers under his hoodie, warm skin on his making his head spin “Why are you looking at me like that?” The wolf whispered.

With Liam sitting on his lap, looking so perfectly debauched and _ready_ for him, Theo knew, he felt in his bones, that he was going to give Liam everything. Everything he wanted. Everything Liam deserved. And Theo knew _exactly_ where to find it, his mind racing as he smiled, the perfect plan etched into his brain.

“Because you’re perfect” He said instead. He’d keep his devoted and devilish plans to himself. For now. Liam rolled his eyes, but Theo held his chin, their eyes meeting and _never_ drifting apart “You are, baby. From the way your hair falls in front of your eyes and you never bother to brush it away…” Theo whispered, his fingers running through the strands of the wolf’s silk smooth hair “... this cute way you wipe the sleep from your eyes in the morning, how you always just _have_ to throw your leg over mine when you sleep on my chest, how you read the same book six or seven times, how you care for your teammates, this cocky, shit eating grin you get when you score a goal and point straight at me. No, for _real,_ it melts my heart, baby” Theo smiled when Liam threw his head back, laughing, a deep blush adorning his face “... you’re perfect because you sometimes brush your teeth with my toothbrush and you always sneak into my showers, because you ramble about some historical location you’re going to research though you probably already know everything about, because you sway your hips when you’re cooking, even with no music on, because you… because you love me, Liam”

Liam covered his mouth with his hand, already in tears by the time Theo was done. Liam wasn’t the emotional type, he wasn’t a crier, but he couldn’t, just _couldn’t_ keep himself composed whenever Theo spoke words like that. The love and fiery, passionate devotion… It made Liam howl with pride and love for his Chimera.

“I do, _fuck,_ I love you so much, Theo” Theo smiled, wiping Liam’s tears away before bringing their mouths together, moaning when the wolf hugged him, deepening the kiss “Fuck, Theo, get me out of these clothes, _now”_ Liam begged, moving his hands to the hem of Theo’ sweater, tugging at it.

“But what about decorating the apartment, baby?” Theo innocently teased, though he _definitely_ lifted his arms for Liam to undress him.

“Fuck decorating, Theo and fuck _me”_ Liam whined, getting his own clothes off when the Chimera just didn’t seem to move fast enough for his liking, Theo’s hands working on his belt.

“Anything for you, baby” Theo whispered, throwing his head back to give Liam working room on his exposed neck and chest, the somewhat cold air of their living room making his nipples go hard, getting Liam’s attention “Oh, fuck, Liam…”

“Get inside me” Liam panted, hands pushing his worn out jeans down. Theo brushed his own hair back, hand pulling at the little string in his sweatpants, lifting his hips _and_ Liam to push them down “Get _the fuck_ inside me, Theo…”

“I got you, baby” Theo moaned, eyes glued to his lover’s face, the wolf pulling him into a heated kiss. Theo smiled, pulling away as he licked his fingers, spitting on them before fisting his cock, tugging at it roughly a couple of times before touching the head to Liam’s asshole “I got you, my eager Werewolf”

Liam smiled down at him, biting his lip when Theo grabbed two handfuls of his ass, spreading the cheeks as far as they could go as he brought him down, spearing himself up into Liam’s deliciously wet hole. Liam’s eyes rolled back, a smile on his lips as he moaned, shamelessly so.

“I’m inside you, Liam” Theo whispered, the wolf opening his eyes to look down into his “Do you want my cum, baby?”

“Yes, _yes,_ I want it, Theo” Liam moaned, hands braced on the edge of the couch, their foreheads against each other. Liam moaned, closing his mouth so he wouldn’t scream when Theo _slapped_ his ass, hissing as the muscles shook around his cock.

 _“Then_ _work for it”_

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Okay, guys, so! We had some important shit happening here, huh?
> 
> I hope you liked it, lemme know what you think!
> 
> P.S. I finally have the rest of the story figured out and I think you guys will be very pleased to see what I have up my sleeve!


	17. Wouldn't Have to Wait Much Longer

_'If you know of monsters,_

_and if you know of demons,_

_then just remember:_

_they know of you too._

_And they fear you_

_because you are the dragon_

_that can overcome them'_

_-Nikita Gill, Out There May Be Monsters But In You There Is a Dragon_

 

“Tell me” Liam begged, his arm thrown over Theo’ shoulder, trying to reach for the Chimera’s driver’s license, his voice pleading “Come on, Theo, just tell me what it is, please”

“It’s embarrassing, Liam” Theo rolled his eyes, extending his arm even more so the wolf couldn’t get to the document. Liam was fresh out of the shower and was getting Theo’s naked back wet again, but the Chimera didn’t care. He wouldn’t let Liam see it, he refused, _period._ Liam could beg, plea, cry even. He would never see it again, if it was up to Theo.

“It’s your  _middle name,_ Theo, how bad could it possibly be?” Liam sighed, defeated at last, his arms circling Theo’s thin waist, kissing the Chimera’ shoulder blade, nuzzling him softly right after.

“Oh, it’s bad, alright” Theo laughed cynically, closing his eyes and just enjoying how warm the wolf felt against him, smiling at Liam’s annoyed growl, Liam a dead weight almost completely on top of him “Why the sudden interest, baby? It’s just my horribly embarrassing middle name”

“No, it’s not” Liam sighed, his middle and ring fingers tracing Theo’s abs, the Chimera’ eyes following the movement, biting his lip when the wolf’s thumb caressed the soft hairs that disappeared down into his jeans. Theo was brought back to reality, the delicious possibilities that caress could lead them to fading to the back of his mind when Liam spoke again “It’s something I don’t know about you and you know how much I hate not knowing you completely”

“Couldn’t you have just asked me?” Theo teased, earning a pinch to one of his abs, his body reacting to it without his permission, laughter bubbling out of his chest as he tried to get away from Liam’s fingers. Liam was the ticklish one, but Theo still had his moments and it made Liam stupidly proud of himself whenever he found a sensitive spot on the Chimera's body.

“In my defense, it was on the kitchen counter, not in your wallet” Liam teased back, standing on his tiptoes to nuzzle the Chimera’s hairline, hands going down Theo’ sides. Theo sighed, smiling and leaning back into the touch, silently asking for more “And you snatched it out of my hands before I could read anything, so, you kind of owe me now”

“Liam…” Theo tried once more to dissuade Liam, but the wolf silenced him, his hands back on Theo’s waist, turning the Chimera around so they could face each other. With a hand on Theo’s chest, Liam pushed him back, out of their closet and towards their bed. Theo fell back onto the mattress, Liam climbing on top of him in no time, his wet hair dripping all over their covers and Theo’s body.

“I’ll make you a deal, then” Liam smiled, licking his lips before kissing Theo’s chest, leaving small pecks behind on his supernaturally warm skin. Theo gasped softly, a moan escaping his lips as he watched Liam tease him, the wolf looking up at him through his long lashes, a playful smile appearing on his face right before he planted another kiss to Theo’ chest, close to his left nipple, but not close  _enough_ “In three minutes, if I don’t make you cum, then you don’t have to tell me”

Liam’s tongue ventured further south and Theo couldn’t stop himself from arching his back, pushing into the warm, slippery touch, gasping as his hand fisted the wolf’s hair. Liam chuckled, continuing his sweet, welcomed attack on Theo, teasing the already sensitive skin, sucking on it and pulling back to watch as the bruises faded away, moments after.

“Three minutes, huh?” Theo breathed out, panting with unrestrained desire for the wolf on top of him. Liam leaned in, resting on his hands and knees as he watched Theo grab his phone, his thumb dragging across the screen for a quick moment and then throwing it on the bed next to his head. Liam smiled when he saw the stopwatch set on ‘3:00’ “And how do you plan on making me cum that fast, baby?”

“That’s not for you to worry about, Theo” Liam smirked, bending himself further foward so he could press his lips to the Chimera’s. Theo groaned, his hand moving to the back of Liam’s head and deepening the kiss. Liam smiled against his mouth, feeling Theo’s hands going down his sides and circling his back “But if you _do_ cum…”

“Fine, _fine,_ I’ll tell you” Theo gasped, his head thrown back as Liam grinded their hips together, much _too_ softly for his liking. Liam smiled, pulling away, grabbing Theo’s hands before the Chimera could complain, holding them up above his head with just one of his. Theo whined, his eyes flashing yellow at Liam restraining him, unable to control the reaction.

But it wasn't him reacting out of fear. His eyes flashed in surrender, every inch of his being eager for whatever Liam was about to give him. Oh, but Theo had _no_ idea what Liam had in store for his Chimera. Liam smiled, his hand holding him in place as he worked open the button of the new black jeans the Chimera had dressed into mere moments before.

Liam pushed the fabric down, rolling his eyes as he realized Theo wasn’t wearing any underwear. He should've seen it coming. The Chimera smirked, hips pushing into Liam’s touch as soon as his dick was free, almost completely hard and already leaking, throbbing as the wolf licked his lips, his mouth dangerously close to him. But not quite close _enough._

Theo gasped, his hips shaking when Liam gripped the base of his dick, his deliciously warm mouth taking him all the way to the back of the wolf’s throat. Theo’s eyes rolled back, his hands desperate to get free, but Liam was simply a tad stronger. And Theo couldn’t possibly fight him in any way, not in that moment, didn't even want to. Liam moaned, the vibration making Theo groan, opening his legs so Liam could have better access to him.

It was then that Liam’s hand let go of his dick and moved down to grab his balls. Okay, Liam had sucked him off plenty of times before and, though the wolf had been nervous the first few times, Liam had quickly mastered the art of giving Theo the best freaking blow job of his entire existance. But no. He had never done _that,_ whatever it was that Liam was doing with his balls. Because Theo really couldn’t find words to describe it, his brain shutting down completely.

“Liam…” The wolf moaned once more, careful to give just as much attention to Theo's cock, his thumb massaging his balls in the most amazing torture technique ever used on the Chimera, his tongue mean and sweet on him, all at once. Liam couldn’t give himself the luxury of taking his time, like he would have liked to. Theo was putting the most amazing show for him, his body unable to stop shivering as Liam continued his ministrations, but he couldn't stop to admire it “Fuck, _baby…”_

2:11

Liam closed his eyes, twisting his hand around the base of Theo’s cock, sucking on the head in eagerness, his cheeks hollowing out. Theo moaned low inside his chest, pushing forcefully against Liam’s hold on him. Liam complied, letting go of him, lifting his gaze to look at the Chimera, who let out a pained howl at finally being free. Liam’s eyes flashed when Theo’s hands fisted his hair, pulling at the strands tightly.

“Oh, yes, Liam…” Theo’s eyes rolled back once more, the Chimera’s feet now on the bed so he could hold Liam’s head in place, his hips slowly fucking into the wolf’s mouth. Theo gasped, knowing that, though this drove him insane with pleasure, he’d stop if Liam asked him to, if it ever got too much for him “Fuck, baby”

Liam only whimpered, pushing against Theo’s hold on his hair, his cock slipping free from the vine like grip of his mouth, a wet pop sound behind that made Theo growl in annoyance, resting on his elbows so he could look at Liam. Liam smiled, his hand back on his dick, fisting it and pumping back and forth, not even close to being as fast as Theo would’ve liked. Theo fell back on the bed, blinking so he could focus on Liam.

But Liam did nothing but lift his hand to Theo’s mouth, touching his middle finger to the Chimera’s bottom lip, his hand working Theo’s cock still.

“Open” Theo felt something burn inside of him, the wild desire and utter _want_ for Liam, the wolf’s big blue eyes locked with his, demanding and yet gentle with his commands. Theo opened his lips, fisting the covers as he sustained Liam’s gaze, letting his tongue circle around his finger. Liam gasped softly, his eyes breaking contact so he could watch as Theo sucked his finger into his mouth, the wolf moaning at how stupidly _hot_ it was “That’s it, suck on it, Theo”

Theo moaned, doing his best to do as Liam told him to when the wolf went down on him again, his wicked little tongue working wonders on Theo’ cock, along with his hand squeezing the base. Liam rested himself on his elbow, his thumb caressing the slit before fisting him tightly, pushing all the way down again. Theo moaned, biting Liam’s finger softly. Liam inhaled sharply, his eyes shooting to Theo’s, the Chimera smiling amused, his tongue dragging under Liam’s finger.

“Bad Chimera…” Liam pulled his hand back, Theo desperate for more of whatever Liam had in mind. He really liked where this was headed, so far. At this point, Theo had already forgotten about their little game, too lost in Liam to remember he should be holding back, as much as he could “I think I’m gonna have to teach you a lesson, Theo”

“Baby…” Theo whispered, moving on the bed to better look at Liam, but the wolf didn’t let him, a hand on his chest to keep him where he was.

“I got you, Theo” Liam spoke, his eyes drifting towards the phone, his eyes working to focus on the tiny numbers. 0:57. Liam smiled, looking down at his Chimera, who was breathing heavily under him “Do you trust me?”

Theo nodded, unable to speak at this point. He was hard and his mind was foggy, a blur where all he could focus on was Liam. The wolf smiled, grabbing him by the back of the neck, kissing Theo eagerly for the first time in what felt like a whole century. Theo’s hands reached for his shoulders, trying to get more of the contact, but Liam didn’t let him deepen any of it, pulling back

And that’s when every muscle in Theo’s body tensed, his eyes snapping open as he felt Liam’ slicked up finger push at his rim. His _untouched_ rim, pushing in. Theo trusted Liam with his life, with his heart, with his deepest secrets, but that didn’t mean he was ready for something like this. He had never trusted his body to anyone.

Theo threw his head back when the first knuckle pushed inside, a long moan escaping him. Theo expected pain, any kind of pain, but there was none. There was only Liam, hand gripping the back of his neck, mouth tight around his dick as he pushed his finger inside him, inch by inch, slowly and gently. Theo had always imagined that, if this ever happened to him, he'd cry and fight to the very last second. But, instead, there he was,  _wanting_ this.

“Liam… Liam, I’ve never…” Theo couldn’t form words, feeling the callouses of Liam’s finger drag along his stretched rim and it seemed like that was the only thing his brain could focus on. Liam sucked the head of his cock, his tongue reaching all the way down to the base, dragging back to the tip.

“Tell me and I’ll stop, you know I will” Liam breathed out, resting his weight on his hand beside Theo’s head. Theo’s hand squeezed his shoulder tight, the Chimera’s eyes squeezed shut  as he breathed, chest heaving. There was no pain, nothing, but he was still nervous, hyper aware and suddenly not aroused at all.

0:33

“Liam…” Theo gasped when Liam forced deeper inside, head thrown back.

“Trust me, Theo, I will never hurt you” Theo _knew_ that. He wanted to be good for Liam, wanted to be able to explore more of their sex life, but it was hard for him to just relax and let go “Hey, I love you, this is for you, not me. Just open your legs for me, I’m gonna make you feel so fucking good, Theo…”

Liam mumbled into his neck, hand fisting his hair as he moved his finger in, all the way to the last knuckle, pushing in still, twisting it around a bit, caressing Theo’s insides in slow, delicious thrusts of his hand. Theo moaned, breathing deeply a couple of times. He could do this. He wanted this. Wanted Liam to do this to him.

So he nodded.

And Liam smiled, arm passing under Theo’s leg, hooking it over his shoulder and almost lifting Theo off the bed, bending him nearly in half. Theo moaned, his hand gripping Liam’s thigh, the covers almost tearing under the strength of his fingers.

“I got you, Theo, I got you” Liam mumbled, licking his lips before looking down. Theo felt himself blushing, knowing _exactly_ what Liam was going to do next. Theo covered his face when Liam licked his hole, finger still inside, but it wasn’t slow like he had thought it would be. He covered his mouth when a loud scream escaped past his closed lips, Liam relentless in his attack. It felt  _too good_ for him to care.

Liam pushed his finger in deep, changing angles only twice before finding that sweet, _sweet,_ spot inside of Theo. There was suddenly an overload of pleasure and Theo’s brain and body failed to work together to process it all. Liam fisted his cock once more, relieving the pain from being way too hard for too long. Theo couldn’t possibly hold back how his body reacted to Liam, his moans freely filling the room as he simply held the covers, bracing himself as best as he could as Liam licked and sucked softly at the skin between his balls and hole, his prostate under attack.

And Theo came before he could even understand what was happening, his orgasm building up faster than ever before. It was completely different from anything Theo had ever experienced. Yes, Liam was by far the greatest sex Theo had ever had, the only one he had ever made love to. Liam's was the only cum he begged to swallow, his cock the only one he craved in his mouth, against his tongue. But Liam certainly wasn’t the only person Theo had fucked, because they had _definitely_ gone there.

But this? No. Theo had _never_ allowed anyone to have this kind of control over him, over his body. Theo had never allowed hands to make him fall apart, had never trusted pleasure that came without a price. And there Liam was. Loving him for the past three years without _once_ asking for anything in return, teaching him things about his body he had never thought it could do. Yes, Theo had given Liam anal orgasms before, had even made him cum just by rimming the wolf, but Liam had never shown any interest in returning the favor and Theo was perfectly fine with it. Theo didn’t need that kind of sex, of pleasure. Giving it to Liam did it for him, nothing else he could possibly need..

And yet, he was there, under Liam, open and _his,_ the wolf’s finger already out of him, his hands soft and gentle on his skin, on his hair. Liam got him nice and clean, hand caressing his chest as Theo heaved, trying to give his brain time to catch up. When Theo finally opened his eyes, he was already calmer, breathing normally. And he blushed furiously, much to Liam’s delight.

“Did I fuck this up?” Liam whispered, brushing Theo’s hair back, staring into his eyes with such intensity Theo felt his skin blush again “I know I should’ve asked, but…”

“It’s okay, baby” Theo sighed, his hand caressing its way up to Liam’ shoulder, thumb caressing his cheek “Didn’t see it coming, but it’s okay”

“I’m sorry” Liam rested his forehead against Theo’s chest, groaning like a puppy as he looked back up “Please, don’t hate me, I thought…”

“Liam” Theo stopped him, pupils blown wide as he stared into the wolf’s concerned eyes “Look at me, baby. Do I look like I hate you? Or what you just did to me?” Oh, Liam had been looking at Theo, alright. Theo’s hair was a mess beyond fixing, he’d probably have to wet it again before trying to work a miracle there, his lips were kissed raw, with shiny paths Liam had left behind on his skin, kisses and bruises that were no longer there, already healed.

“That doesn’t mean it was right of me to do it” Liam whispered, his thumb caressing one of Theo’s nipples softly, the Chimera sighing with a smile on his lips “You were clearly nervous, but it just made me want to do it even more, prove to you it'd feel good”

“Baby, I’m nervous about a lot of things when it comes to you and, if you had asked, I would’ve probably found a way to stop you from ever touching me like that, today, tomorrow...” Theo spoke, feeling so stupidly relaxed he felt like sleeping for an hour or two “But I would have never had the chance to _feel_ that, to feel you _in_ me, just how utterly _claimed_ by you I feel right now” Liam bit his sensitive lip , smiling at the words. Theo smiled back, lifting himself so he could pull Liam down into a kiss, the wolf moaning before they slowly let go of each other “So, if you got any more of those tricks up your sleeve, then by _all_ means, show ‘em to me, baby”

Liam rolled his eyes, feeling the knot inside his throat disappear within a few seconds. Truth was, Liam had no interest in changing anything regarding their sex life. He didn’t want to top, he didn’t wish anything was different. But this was something he had been wanting to do for a while. Theo clearly still had problems adapting to change and Liam wanted to prove to him not all change had to be traumatic or bad in any way.

And, boy, was Theo convinced.

“I love you” Liam nuzzled Theo’s nose with his, making the Chimera smile “I love things as they are, but if _you_ ever want to try something, you just have to tell me, I’m open” Theo smirked, opening his eyes to look at his lover. Liam’s hair was falling all over his forehead, covering his beautiful eyes from Theo and the Chimera just couldn’t have that.

Theo flipped them over, Liam gasping before laughing, his hands circled around the Chimera’s waist. Theo nuzzled his nose back, smiling down at the man under him, so willingly _his_ it made Theo’s heart beat faster.

“Oh, you can _bet_ you will be” Theo whispered, resting himself on his elbows so there was no space between their bodies “Once I’m done with you, baby” Liam smiled, his hand climbing to the back of Theo’s neck, before he reached, with the other, for the phone Theo had completely forgotten was there.

“Not that I’m not tempted, but you _do_ owe me a little something, remember?” Liam teased, a smirk on his face as he held the screen closer to Theo’s face. It took a second for the Chimera’s eyes to adjust to the light, but when they did, he rolled them, growling at Liam’s excited laughter.

0:02

“I can’t _even_ with you right now, Liam” Theo spoke, groaning as he stood up, reaching for the pair of jeans Liam had discard mere minutes before, heading back towards the bed, falling on the mattress next to the wolf “Knock yourself out, baby”

Liam grabbed Theo’s driver’s license with greedy hands, his ocean blue eyes immediately checking his signature. And, _wow,_ okay. Liam had already seen Theo’s handwriting, of course he had, but his signature was something else entirely. It was elegant, collected and _beautiful._ Like Theo had come straight out of the 1800’s or something like that.

_Theodore E. Raeken_

“Okay, first of all, _Theodore”_ Liam smiled, resting on his elbow, leg thrown over Theo’s when the Chimera growled louder, annoyed. And yet, upon noticing how happy Liam was, Theo couldn’t help but smile fondly at his lover, hand reaching over to caress his hair “What does the ‘E’ stand for?”

“You can go ahead and try to figure that one out on your own, baby” Theo rolled his eyes when Liam looked at him so utterly betrayed, the Chimera moving so he could rest on his elbow too, his face inches away from Liam’s “Come on, _Harvard,_ this is going to be a piece of cake for you”

“Ethan? Edward? Ezra?” Theo smiled, simply shaking his head as he fell back on the bed, arm behind his head as he watched Liam huff, annoyed “Literally, this is gonna take fucking forever, Theo” Theo simply reached for his hand, letting Liam keep up with his little game, both of them on their backs “Edgar? Emmett? Erik? Elliot?”

“Bingo” Theo whispered, hearing Liam stop breathing for a few seconds, lying next to him. And then Liam flipped on the bed, back to lying on top of his chest, Theo’s hand immediately reaching for the thigh he knew he’d find thrown over his waist, squeezing the powerful muscle.

“Theodore Elliot Raeken, huh?” Liam whispered with a smile, locking his lips with Theo’s for a long moment before pulling away, sighing happily “Thank you for letting me know” Theo smiled, his hand brushing the hair out of Liam’s eyes, but the strands fell right back to where they were and Theo frowned, making Liam laugh.

“You are in desperate need of a haircut, baby” Theo sighed, kissing Liam’s temple before moving to stand, knowing they had to get dressed and get the rest of the apartment ready before their friends started to arrive. There had been a hale storm the night before and Theo wanted to make sure the street was clean before the pack parked outside and slipped on the melted ice.

“Theo?” Theo turned to look at Liam, the jeans he had just picked up from the ground falling once more when he saw Liam undoing the button of his jeans, pushing them down to the middle of his thighs, licking his fingers and lazily starting to pump his own cock, arm under his head. Theo felt himself getting harder, his body reacting to how aroused and utterly happy Liam smelled, the shit eating grin the wolf had on his face doing all sorts of things to Theo “I was promised a really mind blowing fuck not moments ago and, I mean, you’re not gonna break a promise like _that,_ are you, Theo?” The wolf whispered, knowing _very well_ Theo could hear him, biting his lip.

“Fuck, Liam…” Theo brushed his own hair back, feeling his fangs grow thicker inside his mouth. Liam smiled, his stomach flipping deliciously in anticipation, his hand starting to pump faster as he witnessed Theo getting harder, beaming at the low growl that came out of the Chimera's throat “Get out of those jeans and set the timer, baby. We don’t have a lot of time”

 

* * *

 

Christmas dinner went according to plan, much to Liam’s delight. They exchanged a knowing smile, Theo kissing Liam one more time before their home got invaded by their pack, enjoying these last few moments of peace. Liam sighed, smiling. He was so fucking happy he was afraid it was all a dream. But the hand Theo constantly kept on the small of his back surely worked to erase all of those doubts.

Corey and Mason arrived first and both Chimeras merely rolled their eyes as Theo helped the younger boy set the presents under the tree, exchanging a hug after, Mason and Liam already lost in conversation after sharing a long, laughter filled hug.

“Wait, hold up, you guys have a _dog?!”_ Liam had merely smiled, reaching for Theo’s hand as the Chimera told them the story of Liam’ Christmas present, proud of Elvis sitting relaxed at their feet. They had been worried Elvis would get territorial, but the pup was reacting well to everyone, considering almost all of them were supernatural beings. The pup was very happy to get all that attention, that was for sure.

They sat for five minutes before Lydia and Parrish showed up too. Derek and Stiles had called, letting them know they’d be about half an hour late, but were already on their way with the presents and Stiles’ Christmas movie selection. Liam had rolled his eyes, passing on the information after listening to the voicemail the FBI intern had left him, Derek humming some 80's tune as he drove the Camaro.

Lydia hugged Liam tight, pinching his cheeks like a freaking ant he hadn’t seen in a really long time. And yet, Liam smiled, having missed the Banshee dearly, returning her hug just as tightly. Parrish was very different when he was off duty, joking and acting as carefree as a Hellhound could possibly be. Lydia and Parrish had bumped into each other while the deputy was on vacation and they decided to give their relationship another go, since they hadn’t exactly given themselves a chance back in the day, with everything that was always going on.

Lydia was MIT’s best _everything,_ and everyone there was simply ’her bitch’, as Parrish so correctly put. Lydia rolled her eyes fondly, her hand touching the Hellhound’s face softly, smiling when the man placed a kiss to her palm, their eyes locked together. Liam wondered if that’s how he and Theo looked to other people and, honestly, Liam hoped so. Liam hoped the whole world could see just how in love with his Chimera the Werewolf was, just like Lydia and Parrish.

Nolan and Gabe arrived next and Liam barely had time to let them into the apartment, Theo grabbing their coats before the intercom buzzed again and they laughed at Stiles’ overly excited screech. Derek rolled his eyes as soon as they arrived at their doorstep, almost as if apologizing for unleashing 'The Stiles' upon them. The Evolved One walked in, carrying all the boxes and bags while Stiles ran ahead to hug their friends. Corey and Theo helped Derek set the presents down and, truthfully, there were more boxes, bags and packages under this one tree than any of them had ever seen before, put together.

The room got dead silent when Elvis stood from his spot by the foot of the couch, snarling at Derek and Derek alone. Theo stepped forward quickly, hand on the dog’s collar, not wanting there to be any accidents. Not when Liam had worked so hard and had worried for days on end about this dinner. He’d get Elvis to calm down, one way or another.

“It’s okay, he’s just not used to being around a born wolf” Derek spoke, kneeling after handing Stiles his phone and car keys, the human apparently was the only one relaxed in the room. It wasn’t the first time Derek had been snarled at by dogs and ever cats and Stiles found it extremely endearing how his boyfriend always was calm and gentle with them “Come here, big guy, I’m not going to hurt your family” Elvis approached him slowly, drawn to Derek’s power, sniffing around the hand Derek had outstretched for him. And then, with Derek not even having to flash his eyes at the pup, Elvis was on his back, belly up, wiggling his tail to get the Evolved One to pet him on his favorite spot.

“Traitor…” Theo mumbled, forgetting for a whole second he was in a room full of supernatural beings with supernatural hearing and a healthy laughter spread across their living room. Liam stood next to him, arm around his waist before nuzzling his neck, smiling amused at the Chimera. Derek smiled, hands on the dog’s fur, playing with him for a moment before he stood, the pup running back to hide behind his owner’s legs.

Theo smiled, eyes closed as he let the feeling of Liam’s lips on his skin work wonders on him. Theo passed his arm around Liam’ shoulders, snuggling the wolf closer to his body, kissing his forehead. The Chimera rolled his eyes when Elvis bumped his head softly against his leg, demanding attention, but didn’t let go of Liam to pet their pup.

“Hey, lovebirds, any news on the Scott and Malia front?” Liam rolled his eyes at Stiles, pulling Theo towards the couch after they pulled away from each other. Stiles looked up, smiling at his big bad wolf of a boyfriend, before gladly letting the man hug his waist, sliding into the spot next to his on the couch. Derek smiled at him, squeezing Stiles softly for a few seconds before looking back at Liam, the human cuddling closer to the wolf.

“Nothing yet” Liam sighed, his head rested on Theo’ shoulder, the Chimera kissing the top of his head “I’ve tried calling him _and_ Malia, but they’re not answering, calls go straight to voicemail” Lydia laughed, all eyes on her, though all Jordan did was smile, looking down, his arm thrown over the couch, the Banshee leaning into his side.

“I spoke to her earlier today” The Banshee answered, her hand absentmindedly resting on the officer’s leg “Apparently, Scott prepared her some kind of surprise, so I'm guessing we shouldn’t wait for them to come, not until dinner, at least” Lydia didn’t have to say anything else, knowing her words were enough for everyone to understand just what that surprise consisted of.

And so, after everyone had been served a drink, either warm apple cider, beer or hot chocolate, all they did was catch up. Laugh, joke around and catch up. Everyone had their chance, telling a bit about what life had had in store for them for the past year. They all burst out laughing when Scott and Malia arrived, their jokes so on point the two of them blushed, hugging the couple and welcoming them.

Things changed with Scott there, their Alpha making them feel brought together and relaxed. And, finally, Christmas was complete. And Liam was _particularly_ proud of himself, because of how everyone praised his cooking. Theo had smiled at him, the Chimera’ foot pressed tight against his under the table. Theo had offered to help him prepare dinner, but Liam had insisted on doing it all on his own.

Because it was a ‘family tradition’. Theo had argued that they were a family of their own now and could very well start their own traditions at this point, but all Theo got out of that discussion was an explanation. Liam finally explained, _really,_ why he loved Christmas so much.

It was 9:30 in the morning and Liam was already in the kitchen, getting started on pretty much everything. Since nothing had to be ready until much later, he knew he could do it all before the hour was up. And Liam wanted to argue and say they _had_ plenty of traditions of their own, but, instead, he decided to just give Theo the explanation he deserved, knowing this was going to lead to an argument, but starting to talk anyway.

“It was the only time of the year my parents and I got to be a real family” Liam spoke, his back turned to Theo as he moved around in their kitchen, grabbing whatever ingredients he needed, never stopping “It was the only time she got to be a wife and a mother and she always looked so happy, she… wanted to, I don’t know, make up for all the time they spent apart, from each other and from me”

Theo knew where this was headed from the moment Liam’s voice dropped an octave, though his movements never slowed down, chopping tomatoes, potatoes and bell peppers for the stuffing. And Theo knew all he could do was listen, be there to be the support Liam needed. Nine times out of ten, Theo was enough. And, after their little chat, Theo understood there were things he just couldn’t give, people he just couldn’t replace. And that meant Liam would be forever haunted by his parents.

“And, in her mind, her way of doing that was by cooking all of our Christmas dinner herself. And she beamed whenever my dad and I praised her, which I hope everyone will do too” Liam smiled at Theo over his shoulder, trying to hide from his Chimera just how truly sad that memory made him, even if it was a good one “I have this very vivid memory of them, I think I was six or seven and they were standing in the kitchen, there were glasses of wine on the counter, swaying back and forth to Stevie Wonder, with mom laughing because dad was distracting her and she nearly burned the apple pie she was baking for dessert”

Liam sighed, closing his eyes for a second before snapping out of his stupid trip down memory lane. It was useless, reliving those memories. He refused to let _them_ ruin everything. And Liam hated how there were tears stinging at his eyes, behind his closed eyelids. Theo moved when he saw Liam try to subtly wipe a tear away, failing at it miserably.

Liam’ sadness had a very distinctive smell for Theo. It wasn’t until the whole Beacon Hills: Apocalypse Edition shit show was officially over and everyone had moved on, including him and Liam, that Theo learned to pick up on Liam’s mood changes and how his Chimera reacted to them. Before they got together, before the elevator, before Liam got shot, all there was was anger. Pure and raw. And unrestrained.

Theo had immediately hated it, how acid and strong Liam smelled when he was sad or whenever something bothered him. It was so unusual for something to get to him that Theo couldn’t help but let his instincts kick in and do whatever was necessary to get the wolf to _stop._

“Baby?” Theo watched Liam’ shoulders tensing, the wolf sniffing softly, still focused on the task at hand. Theo sighed, hands reaching for the wolf’s waist, gently asking Liam to turn around and face him, but Liam stood where he was, not daring to move an inch “Baby, look at me”

“Theo, there’s a lot I still have to do and…” That’s when the salty smell of tears hit Theo and hit him hard. It was like his body snapped into motion before his brain could even catch up and tell his legs to move. His hands gripped Liam tight, this time turning the wolf towards him instead of asking.

“Liam” Theo silenced him and Liam sighed, defeated. He dropped the knife on the cutting board, forgetting all about it because of how all over him Theo was, skin on skin, mouth to mouth. Theo kissed him, his hands delicate as they held his head in between them “Baby, I understand why this is so important to you, I won’t ever question it again, I promise you” Theo rested their foreheads together, his nose pressed softly against the wolf’s “Just, _please,_ don’t cry, baby”

The words only worked to get Liam to really cry, his bottom lip in that pout that normally drove Theo insane, but not like this. Liam’s hands reached for his sweater, fisting the fabric. And the floodgates opened.

“Oh, fuck, Liam, come here, baby” Theo engulfed Liam in a hug so tight it would be enough to snap his bones, but suddenly Liam felt like he could breathe again. Theo held him through the ugly sobbing, hand soothing his back constantly, mumbling sweet nothings into his ear as he let Liam cry, the wolf hidden against his chest.

They just stood there, in their kitchen, the day stupidly bright outside, with the sun hitting the snow that had been falling all morning. Once Liam calmed down and was able to tell up from down, with Theo still keeping them hugged together, that’s when he realized it.

Theo had begun to slowly, softly sway them in their embrace, the Chimera’s arms tight and steadily strong around his waist and back. Liam couldn’t find it in himself to fight the smile that appeared on his lips, resting his cheek on Theo’s pectoral, hugging him tighter, adjusting his arms around the man’ shoulders.

But the tears poured out once more, though not as gut wrecking as before. You see, Theo wasn’t much for singing. Whenever he did, Liam was sure the Chimera was happy. But mostly relaxed, comfortable. After spending so long in constant alert, there were certain things they only enjoyed doing whenever they knew for sure they were alone, safe under the secrecy of their home or the car, even. That’s where Theo sang the most, listening to the radio while they drove somewhere.

But now the words were flooding out of Theo’s mouth, the Chimera’s breath so incredibly warm against Liam’ skin he felt like he was standing on the Sun. Theo kept moving his feet, only a couple of inches to either side, arms tight around Liam as he sang to his Werewolf.

_Very superstitious, wash your face and hands_

_Rid me of the problem, do all that you can_

_Keep me in a daydream, keep me goin’ strong_

_You don’t wanna save me, sad is my song_

Liam tucked himself against Theo when the Chimera started singing Stevie Wonder to him, this version was so slow it was almost _sexy,_ a promise whispered into his ear, the reassurance that Theo understood him and would never judge him for holding on or even just giving in and crying his eyes out every once in a while.

Theo sang every Stevie Wonder song he knew and the ones he could only remember bits and pieces of, he filled in the blanks with open mouthed kisses to Liam’s neck, cheek, shoulder, any part of him Theo could reach. Liam sighed, his breath hitching softly as he held on to Theo like a lifeline, feeling the Chimera’s voice disappear as he got more and more invested in his kissing than singing to him.

Theo pulled away slowly, his hands touching Liam everywhere they could, getting as much of his own skin against Liam’s as he possibly could with Winter clothes still on.

“It’s you and me, Liam” Theo whispered, thumbs caressing the wolf’s cheeks, nuzzling the tip of his nose against Liam’s “We don’t need Christmas, wine or Stevie Wonder to be each other’s happiness, never _ever_ forget that” Theo sighed, his hand caressing its way down Liam’s body, arm circling his waist once more, lifting the wolf's chin with his free hand “Do I make you happy, baby?”

“Yes… yes, Theo, _yes”_ Liam mumbled, over and over again, his fingers fisting Theo’s clothes, pulling the Chimera even closer to his body.

“Then remember you are everything to me, okay? I won’t lie and say I understand where you’re coming from, because I don’t” Theo’s hand grabbed the back of his neck, soft hands, strong grip, just tight enough to remind every cell in Liam’s body just who he belonged to, as if Liam could ever forget “You know just how much I hate them” Liam nodded, closing his eyes. He wanted to argue, say they hadn’t been that bad, up until the day they left, but he understood Theo, his hatred. Liam couldn’t possibly ask Theo _not_ to hate them “I can’t see you crying because of them, baby, it makes me _sick_ to my stomach, but _I’m_ here for you”

“I know” Liam whispered, smiling softly when Theo kissed his forehead. He felt stupid for crying, he knew it was stupid _of him_ to feel any less of a person because of the people who had abandoned him. So, instead of crying any more tears, he held on to Theo, the one who had been there all along. He felt angry too, but not during Christmas, not when he felt so safe in Theo’s arms “There’s a lot I wish I could say to them, you know? But I don’t think I’d actually say a word if I ever saw them again. I got you, there’s no need for me to sink as low as them”

“Don’t worry, baby” Theo kissed his cheek, nuzzling the skin for a long moment, before pulling away with an exaggerated sigh, making Liam smile “I’d say plenty. Call me if you need help, okay? I’ll get started on that reading list for Anatomy III”

None of the people sitting in their living room would ever know they had shared that moment ten steps away from where they all were. They would never know how Theo had kissed Liam’s forehead, then attaching their lips, Liam reaching for the Chimera’s neck before Theo could make him lose his balance, right there, laughing. They would never know how Liam had smiled, watching Theo sigh, the Chimera stopping on his way to their study table to play with Elvis.

They would never know how they had smiled at each other, catching each other’s eyes when Theo stood to his full height, the Chimera smirking upon noticing Liam already had his beautiful blue eyes on him.

After serving dessert, Lydia sat by the tree, having lost her heels hours before, handing out the presents at random. They all laughed, joking and swimming in wrapping paper of all colors and sizes. Elvis was having a blast, though he seemed to not be friends with the large piece of bubble wrap Stiles had dropped to the floor, moments before.

They all turned to the snapping sounds, laughing when Elvis snarled at the noisy plastic sheet. Derek had just given Stiles a snowglobe and the boy recognized Venice, immediately. He gasped, all eyes on him when the sound came out louder than he had expected it to. But he didn’t care, because Derek had his arm thrown over the couch, smirking at Stiles in that delicious way that was reserved just for him.

They all laughed and cheered when Stiles grabbed the back of Derek’s neck, pulling the wolf in for the kiss of his life. Derek smiled against his mouth, his large hand coming to hold on to Stiles’ back, his other hand holding two plane tickets to Venice, his real Christmas present.

“Wait, these are for tomorrow” Stiles turned to Derek, who shrugged with only one shoulder, smiling as he turned to his pack. Derek reached for Stiles’ hand, thumb caressing his knuckles.

“We should get going, then” Derek smirked, turning to their friends “We still got to pack and everything”

Stiles and Derek said goodbye to everyone with the FBI intern blushing deeply, since all the Pack did was tease the living daylights out of them. Derek simply smiled, his large hand grabbing all the gifts they had just received, helping Stiles into his coat as best as he could with only one free hand. They waved goodbye once more, with Stiles' hand in Derek's, biting his lip before hugging the wolf's waist.

Theo saw the way Liam looked at the couple leaving, longing, _wanting,_ sighing before turning back to the rest of the presents, smiling when Mason threw an arm around his shoulders. Theo’ stomach flipped with anticipation and he told himself to breathe before the pack picked up on any changes. He wouldn’t be fast enough to come up with an excuse.

Liam wouldn’t have to wait much longer to have his own surprise.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> The Stevie Wonder scene happens before the scene Liam is decorating and goes to lie down with Theo on the couch. Or the 'Things Theo Loves About Liam' scene, I'm gonna call it that. 
> 
> I hope you guys liked it! I am super, super stocked for the next chapter, I can't eveeeeen!
> 
> Let me know what you think, alright? What did you guys think of Theo's name?
> 
> Thanks for reading!


	18. On New Year's Eve

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> What we've been waiting for.

_'There has to come a day_

_when you stop hating yourself._

_Open the cage you've put yourself in._

_Don't you want to know_

_what it feels like_

_when you let the sky into your soul?'_

_-Nikita Gill, Free Yourself_

 

Theo was really going to do this. Holy fuck, huh? The small box felt heavy in his hand, the Chimera stopping just outside the shop, the harsh, cold wind not enough to snap him out of his daydream. Theo, of all people, just stood there.

_Huh. I’ll be damned. Me, of all people. That’ll knock a whole lotta people over with a feather, that’s for sure._

Theo stared at the fancy, smooth black velvet of the box as he took the first steps, making his way back to the car. He was really doing this, huh? Liam would be surprised, alright. Though Theo already had it all figured out, it still hadn’t seemed real. Not _this_ real, not until _now._ He had second guessed himself ever since he placed the order at the shop, the lady smiling at him, _congratulating_ him. Oh, fucker, it was real. There would be no Venice, no audience to clap and give them a standing ovation at the end of the spectacle. Just _them,_ on New Year’s Eve.

And Theo felt a new kind of rush, an electric, lightning bolt sort of thrill running through his veins, his muscles and soul at the infinite possibilities that tiny little box held for him and Liam. Theo threw the box in the air, catching it right after, smiling like an idiot before safely locking it away in the pocket of his leather jacket.

It was December 29, 2017. In only two days, surrounded by their Christmas lights, a bottle of champagne and Elvis as their only witness, Theo would get down on one k…

Theo stopped walking, his hands fisting the fabric of his jeans, from inside the pockets, reality sinking in so fast he felt sick to his stomach, his daydream slipping through his fingers.

There _she_ was.

Liam’s _mother._ Theo had never bothered to learn Liam’s parents’ names, had called them by some pretty bad ones already and yet, their resemblance was haunting. No matter how much Theo tried to pretend that she didn’t exist, that she hadn’t run away like the coward he already knew her to be, taking Liam’s father with her, the Wolf looked, undeniably, _just like_ her. No name needed, she _was_ Liam’s mother.

Theo heard his own teeth on the verge of breaking, could feel his jaw clutched tight, hurting. He needed to breathe. Theo ran his hands through his hair, _knowing_ he was going to end up doing something stupid if he didn’t walk away in that very second. He was gonna _fuck this up_ and Liam would never forgive him for that. But could he forgive _himself_ for wasting such an opportunity?

Still, through the dilemma, his feet remained exactly where they were. The woman was waiting in some kind of line, though Theo’s mind was too far gone in its angry down spiral sort of haze to pay attention what for. The rational side of Theo’s brain kept telling him to go, walk away or even run, run to Liam, if he had to. Theo knew himself, knew that, the longer he stayed there, drilling holes into her back, the bigger were the odds of him walking right up to her. Like he earned to do, dreamed of doing every time Liam cried himself to sleep because of them, in his arms.

Any other _fucking_ day, for fuck’s sakes. Couldn’t it wait for 2018? Hadn’t they gone through enough already in this horror show that had been 2017? Did Theo _really_ have to run into this motherfucker today, of all days? On his way back home from buying Liam’s _engagement_ ring?!

The rage inside him quickly built up when Liam’s smiley, after sex face, from earlier that morning, popped into his mind. Theo closed his eyes, breathless as he let himself indulge in the beautiful view that was his Werewolf, falling apart and letting Theo’s hands put him back together. And his feet were moving before he could talk himself out of it, once again. All the hate he felt for that woman rushed right back to the surface, his Chimera clawing at his control with a power he had no idea he had, his hand wrapped tight around the box inside his pocket.

“Out of all the cities you could’ve cowardly run away to, did you really have to come _here?”_ He said, stopping next to the brown haired woman like he was waiting in line as well, so close their shoulders touched on occasion. Her head snapped to look at him, brows furrowed in confusion as she gave him a quick once over, her blue eyes peeking over her sunglasses. The _exact_ same shade of blue as Liam’s, her eyes were. Unfuckingbelievable. Liam had inherited that too. The Chimera growled, rolling _his_ to the sky above, refusing to let his love for Liam’s blue eyes be stained by this _creature_ standing beside him.

“Excuse me?” Theo huffed, annoyedly rolling his eyes again, even behind closed eyelids as the woman clearly looked like she was trying to remember him, scavenging her mind for a memory of his face, no matter how small.

“Don’t bother wasting your last remaining brain cells, dear, you don’t know me” Theo smiled, a spark of evilness behind his bright smile and a death wish for the woman’s neck to be served on a silver platter so strong there was a dark aura around the Chimera, almost as if Theo had fallen back all the steps he had climbed ever since falling for Liam. Theo felt immediately better, as soon as the woman’s eyes grew wide with shock at his words, seeming nervous and unsure of what to do next “But I know your son. You _do_ remember him, right? His name’s Liam, he’s doing very well, thanks for _not_ asking” Theo felt laughter bubbling out of his chest and, for once in his life, he didn’t restrain it. A tightness he didn’t even know was there disappearing, gone for good.

Simply knowing this woman finally knew everything he thought of her worked miracles, his everything back under control. He knew, deep down, he couldn’t possibly do what he wanted to her. He wanted to grab her by the neck and drag her back to the apartment, present his newest prey to his lover, an act of love and devotion so great not even the Gods above would be able to look away. Like the beast he was, letting himself be the vessel he was so meticulously designed to become. Liam had been able to see more to him than just savage instincts and a dark, bloodstained past, but Theo knew _this_ was all it took for him to go back to his old ways.

All it took was Liam. Liam was his double edged knife, his beginning and his end, his sun, his moon and his truth. And knowing there was a single human being capable of scaring his Liam made things twist and snap inside Theo, to a point he just couldn't seem to set them back in place.

And standing there, looking at her, it hurt Theo more than he had thought it would. Images played inside his mind, how this woman had, at some point, _wanted_ Liam, had made love to her beloved husband in order to have him, had breastfed him, had changed his diapers, had played with him, had tended to his grazed knees, had stayed up all night to take care of him whenever he was sick, had baked him cookies, had helped him with his homework, had taught him how to ride a bike, had taken him to his first Lacrosse practice.

Theo could live with not having had these things.

But not Liam. Not _his_ Liam. Not when Liam had chosen _him,_ in spite of all his scars and forever freshly open battle wounds. Not when Liam had chosen Theo to be the father of his children, to be with him through everything this woman had done for him, all the _love_ she had given and then taken away from him just by walking out the door. Liam had chosen Theo to do right by their future children and that fact alone meant more to Theo than vengeance.

“Fuck, he’s the spitting image of you, huh?”

Theo knew he and Liam couldn’t _possibly_ have children, not the conventional way. He had given the topic a lot of thought since Liam had proven to be everything the woman in front of him was not. Because Liam had stayed, had worried he had said the wrong thing or done something that would jeopardize their relationship, after mentioning having a baby. Theo had thought of a surrogate, but the Chimera didn’t want to involve a stranger in a process that was so intimate and theirs. They couldn't possibly raise a human child. Theo had another idea in mind and, though it was taking some time, he’d get it done. For Liam.

Theo couldn’t stop himself from simply _knowing_ this woman would never put Liam first, under any circumstance, not like Theo did. Not like they did for each other. And it calmed him down, knowing that he’d forever be there for Liam. Because Liam wanted him, with all his heart. And that was enough.

Theo watched the woman swallow thickly and _yes,_ she knew Theo knew what Liam was. And she also knew Theo, despite knowing about Liam, belonged to the Wolf, in every sense of the word. It was clear in the way Theo spoke Liam’s name, simple like that.

And Theo didn’t care if there were or weren’t people staring when he allowed his eyes to flash yellow at her. Liam had scolded him for ever saying his eyes weren’t as pretty as the wolf’s, simply because they were yellow, not golden, but, in that very moment, Theo was thankful for the hollow pale glow his eyes had. The woman gasped, covering her mouth as she turned around to run, but Theo didn’t let her. _Oh, no. I’m not done with you._

Theo grabbed her arm, before he could stop himself, pulling her back the two steps she had taken, their chests pressed together. The grip Theo had on her arm was enough to keep her in place. But Theo felt, then, a different kind of anger. An anger brought forth by her stupidity, her uneducated fear for her son’ species. Theo wanted to tell her, make her understand that, yes, Theo was never to be used as an example, but Liam was the most mundane of all Werewolves and the fact she refused to see it made him want to rip her apart just as much as it made him want to curl in bed with Liam.

“That’s right, you _should_ be scared of me” Theo whispered, his hand holding her there, not caring if his hold on her would leave bruises “Because I had to rebuild Liam, almost from the ground up, after you _abandoned_ him. I was there for him and it just makes me so fucking _angry_ that he finally moved on, got into fucking _Harvard,_ just to find out we ended up in the same town as the woman who left him behind to fend for himself when he was a teenager”

Theo didn’t let her talk, his eyes flashing briefly one more time, her words dying inside her throat. It gave him a sense of power, the look of fear on her face. But it wasn’t the same from back when he _craved_ being powerful, needed it to think more of the failed experiment he believed himself to be. But this was different. All Theo could think of was Liam, who was probably still lazing around in bed, exactly where he had fucked him that morning, waiting for him to come home so they could do it all over again.

There were millions of other things he wanted to say to this woman, but, instead of letting it all out, he dropped her arm. She wouldn’t understand, it was clear in the way her chest heaved and her throat made this annoying whistling sound, just like a smoker’s. He refused to waste his time any further. He didn't want to feel angry, didn’t want to tempt himself with feelings and thoughts of power ever again. Liam made him powerful and it was enough for him to feel light, despite not having scratched the surface of what he had always wanted to say.

Theo just stood there, watching as she ran away from him, as scared as he had wanted her to be. It was thinking of Liam that had made him let her go. He wanted to go home, wanted to enjoy the last few days of 2017 lost in Liam, and then pop the question at 11:58 on December 31st, like he had planned. It hadn’t been what Theo had thought facing the woman would turn out to be like, but it would have to do. He was done standing there, when he could be wrapped around his Werewolf.

 _Is this what peace feels like?_ Tricky little thing, being at peace. It surely made Theo feel better, but still nothing had changed. He’d still go home to a traumatized Liam and it honestly exhausted Theo, but he drove home anyway. And, standing in the hall of their apartment building, he heard Liam’s heart beating and Theo smiled, knowing that, no matter how fucked up it got, he’d always come home to the Wolf.

But when Theo walked through the front door, Liam was moving their tree to another place, Elvis whining in a corner. Liam wasn’t lazing around in bed, waiting for him, for round two. Liam looked up when he heard Theo walking in, watching the Chimera hang his coat on the back of the stool, arching a brow at a flushed Liam, the mop on the floor.

“Elvis _peed_ on our Christmas tree, can you believe this?” Liam rolled his eyes, removing the lower baubles to get them cleaned. Theo fought the chuckle that wanted out, knowing he’d be joining Elvis in the corner if he did let it out, opening his mouth to say something when he heard the characteristic sound of glass shattering, a gasp following it not a moment later.

_Did they still make glass ornaments? Really?_

It was the completely horrified look on Liam’s face that told Theo something was wrong, his stiff back and how he seemed lost in a haze, some kind of hypnotizing blur that left him speechless. Liam sniffed repeatedly, his wide, hazed eyes scanning Theo’s body as he took two slow steps closer.

“Liam, the glass!” Theo yelled, watching his boyfriend step over the shards, not caring about the bloody footprints he left behind “Why are you even barefeet anyway? Hello? Liam?!”

But Theo stopped trying to get Liam’s attention when the Wolf stopped, dead in his tracks, another shocked gasp ripped out of his diaphragm like he had just been punched. Liam’s hand slowly covered his mouth, his chest heaving faster and faster with each passing second, his feet not steadily holding himself up on the deep cuts that kept trying to heal but couldn’t, since the shards were still there, embedded into his flesh.

“She… did she… my m…” Liam couldn’t speak, his body shivering as it tried to stay under control and focus on Theo. Liam wanted to close his eyes, wanted to curl into a ball right there on the ground, taking a large, hurried step back when Theo tried nearing him, arms open to pull the wolf into a hug to calm him down.

Liam snarled. Liam fucking _snarled_ at him, top lip curled over his long, now exposed fangs. Theo froze, arms still open for the Wolf, something in him shattering as Liam seemed disgusted by the idea of touching him. Liam had never had that kind of reaction, not towards _him._ Theo looked down at his chest, following Liam’ shaking hand when the Wolf pointed in that direction.

And it all made sense then. Theo was removing his jacket within the second, faster than a hummingbird flaps its wings, thankful the box inside his pocket was large and the ring was safe in it, pulling the sweater he had been wearing underneath over his head and throwing the clothes across the room, as far away from them as possible. Theo thought it would be enough, but reached for the hem of his t-shirt when Liam hissed at him still, completely ignoring the pain on his feet, his brain confused.

Why was Theo smelling like his mother? His mother of all people? Had she done something to him? That thought made Liam’ stomach flip so hard he could’ve thrown up had he eaten something. Theo had left not an hour before and, when Liam finally stood from their bed, he had walked into their living room to find the mess Elvis had made.

Liam knew what was happening to his brain, to his body, still rational under all the instincts that had taken over without his permission, the wolf inside him refusing to listen to reason. He was having a fucking panic attack and his wolf wasn’t allowing the _one_ person who could actually make it stop to near him.

“No, no, no, no, Liam, it’s all good, it’s okay” Theo sunk to his knees when Liam fell, the panic settling so deep inside his very soul Liam’s body begun to shut down, hand around his own throat as he tried and failed over and over again to inhale, his lungs screeching loudly from the closed airways “See? Baby, everything is fine, just look at me, I didn’t touch her”

Theo felt himself slip out of control. Liam’s mouth was turning fucking blue and still he tried to curl himself away from the Chimera. But Theo knew he didn’t have a choice. He scooted closer, pulling Liam into a tight hug, even though Liam struggled. It was the fastest way to get his skin to smell like the wolf again, to stop the attack and let him breathe.

“Everything’s fine, baby, just breathe with me for a second” Theo soothed him, caressing his back, holding onto Liam like that on the floor, with Elvis going insane with worry around them, his tense muscles relaxing as Liam started taking deep, shaky breaths in and coughing.

“Did she… did she _hurt_ you?” Liam spoke, squeezing Theo’s pecs tight hands fidgeting, unable to focus on only one place, desperate to get more of their bodies touching. Theo let his claws slip out, grabbing the fabric of Liam’s hoodie and ripping it to shreds, not thinking about much else other than getting more of Liam’ skin against his “Fuck, Theo, fucking tell me” Liam passed his arms around Theo’ shoulders, the Chimera’ hand on the ground behind him for support when Liam relaxed all his weight against his body “Did she hurt you? Did she do something to you? Why do you fucking _smell_ like her?”

“I ran into her, that’s it, that’s all that happened” Theo explained, caressing Liam’s back. Theo gasped, head thrown back when Liam started to rub himself against his body, the two of them moaning shamelessly at the naked contact “Fuck, baby… I did all the talking, said maybe 2% of what I wanted to, I stood close to her, it’s all, she didn’t do anything to me, I’m fine”

Liam nodded, desperate hands pulling Theo in for an even more desperate kiss. The Chimera moaned, more than happy to just let Liam have his way with him. But something was wrong. It was there, in how hazed Liam’s eyes were, his hands shaking as he tried to undo his zipper. Liam’s need. It wasn’t Liam desiring him, it was Liam’s instincts taking over.

They knew from experience sex was the best way to share scent, mark a supernatural creature as yours and Theo couldn’t just sit there, watching Liam, with tears still dripping down his handsome face, working himself open for Theo, trying to rush his body into accepting the Chimera inside him. He refused to let such a contact between them become something painful and full of tears and panic. He _wouldn’t_ let it happen _._

“Liam, baby, stop” Theo whispered, his hands coming down to hold Liam’s wrists, keeping his hands away from his own body, the wolf complaining at being restrained “You’re not thinking straight and, to be honest, there’s no way I can get hard with you like this, so how about a shower, huh? I’ll use your shampoo and everything” Liam panted, both from pain and pleasure. He had been fingering himself, something he had never done before, had no idea what felt good, what his limits were. Though they had had sex earlier that morning, Liam’s body just wasn’t ready to go again, not like that. All he wanted was to appease his wolf, get the Chimera to recognize he was home, safe.

Liam knew that wasn’t true. Theo was his, he had been telling the truth about running into his mother. It was just a matter of time before it happened. Liam felt a sudden urge to burst out of their apartment and hunt his own mother down. End this endless cycle of anger and pain and just _move_ the fuck _on._ Her perfume alone had been able to send Liam into a trance, where all he needed was to know Theo was okay, was still there.

It was stupid and ridiculous, but Liam hadn’t been able to stop it from happening. Liam tried to think, tried to get a grip. He was fine, Theo was fine, they were fine. He understood Theo, this wasn’t them. Sex wouldn’t solve this. Theo was okay, he was there, warm and breathing under his palms, under his lips. The Chimera’s hands were enough and quick to stop the world from spinning all around Liam, Theo made sense, Theo was what kept him grounded. Liam nodded, feeling Theo hug his waist, letting the Chimera get them back on their feet.

The panic attack had been big and long, and Liam could barely stand. Theo closed his eyes for a long second, bending to pass his arm under Liam’s legs, lifting the wolf off the ground and keeping him safe against his chest. Liam sighed, cheek rested against Theo’s pec, just breathing. His mother’s perfume was faint now, Liam could mostly smell himself on the Chimera’ skin, along with Theo’s own fear and anger.

“I’m sorry…” Liam whispered, knowing Theo could hear him. Theo’s arm tightened around his back, pulling Liam so tight the wolf passed his arm around his neck, hugging himself tight to Theo. Theo shook his head, kissing Liam’s neck, nuzzling the skin softly, his stubble rubbing against it in a delicious reminder the only body Theo wanted to touch was Liam’s “I overreacted, I’m sorry”

“For real, if you _hadn’t_ reacted like that, I would’ve been worried” Theo walked into the bathroom, sitting Liam on the toilet, holding the wolf’s face in between his large hands, kneeling in front of his lover “I couldn’t help myself, baby, when I saw her today. She was _there_ …”

“I get it, I probably would’ve done the same” Liam sighed when Theo pulled away, feeling himself shiver. He wasn’t cold or anything, but it was the lack of contact with Theo’ skin that made his body crave it even more, especially in a moment like that. Theo kept a hand on his leg, his other getting the tub full, closing the drain “Honestly? I couldn’t care less about her. Knowing that you spoke with her and I have a pretty good idea what you might’ve said…” Theo smiled, standing to his full height, bringing Liam up with him “... It’s enough for me. All I care about is you, Theo”

“I’m okay, baby, don’t worry about me” Theo kissed his forehead, cleaning Liam's feet carefully, fingers working fast on his watch and placing it on the counter before urging Liam to get inside the tub “Just relax and breathe, okay? We’ll forget about her, forget this even happened today”

Liam smiled, biting his lips as Theo got in behind him, pulling the wolf against his chest as soon as he was settled inside. They both sighed, hands reaching for hands. Theo kissed Liam’s neck and shoulder, nuzzling the wolf until he was calm and relaxed, every muscle in his body ached from the panic attack, but Liam was okay.

Theo started talking ten minutes into their bath, telling Liam what had happened. They had promised to talk through anything and, though Theo wanted to keep all of it to himself, he knew Liam had the right to know. Theo kept plenty of details to himself, the rage and how low he had sunk, there on that sidewalk. Theo didn’t want to find out what would happen to them if Liam found out the old Theo was still there, inside him, inside the man he loved.

“I’m just thankful she knows we’re here and she’ll do everything to avoid us” Liam sighed, his ear pressed to Theo’s chest, getting high just by hearing his Chimera’ heart beating steady, arms around his waist, lips against his skin “I’m sorry you had to face her and I’m sorry I lost it”

“It wasn’t pretty, I’ll give you that” Theo sighed, resting his cheek on top of Liam’s head, relaxing bit by bit, his shoulders still tense “I’m really fucking hungry, baby”

Liam laughed, turning as best as he could in Theo’s embrace, arm passing around the Chimera’ neck. Liam brought him in for a kiss, a very calm and very sweet kiss, so very different from the one they had shared in the living room. Liam sighed when they pulled away, forehead rested against Theo’s, hand on the back of the Chimera’s neck, just taking a moment to breathe and enjoy the proximity.

Theo’s arm wrapped around him even more, pulling the wolf closer. Liam smiled, letting Theo pull him in for another kiss, the Chimera’s tongue on his bottom lip, begging for Liam to let him in. Liam reached blindly for the bar of soap, starting on washing Theo. The Chimera’ smiled into their kiss, hands exploring all of Liam, every curve and inche he had already memorized and craved learning all over again.

They would be okay, Liam knew that. He felt perfectly _fixed._ Theo had just faced one of his biggest demons for him and Liam felt like there was nothing wrong. Like he wasn’t broken, in that part of his life. All it took was for Theo to hold him, shush him, whisper his love into his ear all day and night. This is who they were and his mother shaped nightmare of a demon no longer stood a chance against them.

 

* * *

 

Theo woke up and he immediately reached for Liam. But the wolf wasn’t there. Theo opened his eyes, finding Liam to be in the living room. He got up, stopping by the bathroom to make sure he didn’t look half the zombie he felt like. And so, still barefeet and shirtless, wearing nothing but his pajama bottoms, he found Liam wearing his top, the wolf smiling and running towards him, arms around his neck.

They both sighed, Liam making Theo smile by locking their lips together. Theo let Liam control their kiss, his arms tight around the wolf’s waist, pulling Liam close. Theo had definitely overslept, since the living room was so damn bright already. But it was December 30, so why should he worry.

“Morning” Liam smiled once they pulled away, chuckling “Well, afternoon. Are you hungry? I made lunch, I can get some for you” Theo shook his head when Liam tried breaking their hug, the wolf smiling at him sweetly, rolling his eyes fondly before wrapping his arms around Theo’s neck again.

“I can get it, I don’t want to interrupt you” Theo whispered against Liam’s cheek, kissing it right after “Besides, I have already finished my reading list, you haven’t even touched yours” Theo smirked, pulling Liam in for one more kiss before untangling himself from the wolf, who groaned at him “I wouldn’t want to distract you, baby”

“Fuck, Theo, you _are_ a walking distraction, have you ever _seen_ yourself?”

Liam smiled when Theo rolled his eyes, biting his lip before looking down, getting started on fixing himself some lunch. Liam was glad they were back to their normal bantering and kissing, flirting and teasing. Liam was seriously done with all the fucked up memories haunting them, he was really glad that part was over.

Because it felt over. And it felt real, but Theo had ended it all. Theo had settled his soul without using his own hands, claws or fangs. All the Chimera did was love him enough to stand on the battlefield that was being with Liam and that meant more to the wolf than blood ties.

Liam sighed, hand on the back of his neck as he turned to his laptop on their study table, hating how his reading list was probably twice the size of Theo's, though definitely not as complicated. Liam’s eyes drifted back to the Chimera, watching as every muscle danced and flexed whenever he moved, the dimples at the base of his spine Liam loved kissing.

Theo turned to look at him over his shoulder, smiling at the wolf from across the room, shaking his head in an amused gesture, blowing on his hot food.

“I can smell you all the way from here, Dunbar” Theo smirked, fucking winking at Liam “See something you like, baby?”

 

_'The people who left you in this way_

_don't deserve to become your favorite stories to tell._

_You are a massive forest full of beautiful and vibrant stories_

_and every single one of them deserves you more_

_than those that abandoned you to hell'_

_-Nikita Gill, A Forest Story_

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Thank you for reading and for all the love you've been showing me and this story. From the bottom of my heart, thank you.
> 
> Let me know what you think, okay? I'm very tired, so, don't worry if you find any grammar mistakes I'm apologizing in advance, I shall be fixing them tomorrow ❤❤❤
> 
> XoXo


	19. Call It What You Want

 

_"And more_

_than anything else_

_in the world,_

_I admire the way_

_you carry your pain,_

_even the air_

_around you stills,_

_humbled by_

_your bravery_

_and your grace"_

_-Nikita Gill, The Way You Carry Your Pain_

 

Liam was probably overthinking this. Scratch that, he was _definitely_ reading too much into this. Whatever _this_ was. Theo had been acting strange all throughout the previous day, and especially earlier that morning, but Liam told himself there was nothing for him to worry about.

It started with a phone call, the day before. ‘Josh’ had called Theo, inviting him over so they could see each other since they would both be going back to work in just a couple of days and wanted to enjoy this time to ‘hang out and catch up’. It wasn’t like they hadn’t done something like this before.

It was how in a rush Theo had seemed, standing from the couch when his phone rang and doing his best to sound nonchalant while speaking, making his way to their bathroom. Liam repeated to himself there was nothing for him to worry about, he was just being ridiculous. Liam just sat there, on their couch, his eyes on Theo’s back as the Chimera walked away from him, whispering into the phone.

This was Theo, for _fuck’s_ sakes.  _His_ Theo.

But when Theo turned on the water in the bathroom sink so Liam couldn’t hear him…

Then it was Theo encouraging Liam to go on a run later in the afternoon. Theo would be responsible for their New Year’s dinner, since Liam had taken care of Christmas and Liam did everything in his power to believe Theo was just nervous, though Liam couldn’t think of something that could ever  _possibly_ make Theo Raeken nervous, and the Chimera just wanted all it to be perfect. This was the Chimera’s first time fully in charge of a Holiday meal and Liam told himself they’d step into 2018 with the right foot. He screamed it inside his own head, even, trying desperately to convince himself of it.

When Liam made his way out of their building, wearing his Winter workout clothes and with his headphones already on, he focused on setting one foot in front of the other and just _running._ He ran as fast as he could until he couldn’t hear Theo’s heartbeat anymore. Liam let his feet take control, taking him to a few parts of town he had never been to before and that, honestly, made him breathe a bit better.

Theo knew Liam was sure something was wrong, it was in the way Liam kept growing more and more distant in the past forty eight hours. And how he had taken off running, unaware that Theo had been watching from their living room balcony. A soft yet pained growl escaped his chest, making Elvis whine behind him, even from the other side of the balcony french doors.

There wasn’t a single thing going wrong, thanks to Theo's well thought out plan. He hated how Liam seemed suspicious and Theo was using every trick in the book to keep doubts out of the wolf’s mind. Though he _clearly_ wasn’t doing a good job. And it caused the Chimera physical pain to lie to his Liam, especially since all Theo wanted to do was to just scream at the top of his lungs that he was going to ask Liam to marry him.

Theo wanted to go outside, stop random strangers on the freezing streets just so he could tell them, rub it in their faces, that he was going to propose to Liam.

In exactly _7_ hours.

_Fuck. his. life._

Remind him to _never_ keep something _this_ huge a surprise, alright? 'Cause  _jeez._

Being responsible for dinner that night helped. It meant Liam wouldn’t be in the kitchen with him much and he would be able to go about his plan with close to no interruptions and wouldn’t have to further lie to the wolf. He couldn’t keep Liam out of the apartment all afternoon, he knew that, but he’d figure something out. Liam always took his time when running, so Theo focused on going through his list one more time. It was the best place to start, after all.

Ring. _Check._

Dinner recipe and ingredients. _Check._

Outfit. _Check._

Champagne in the fridge. _Check._

Candles and matches. _Check._

Extra Christmas lights. _Check._

Picture. _Check._

Everything was in order, time just needed to pass, their day simply needed to go by uneventful. Liam returned, an hour and a half later, all sweaty and still panting, finding Theo playing with Elvis in the living room, practicing his commands with the pup. Liam pet the dog who ran to him, greeting Elvis sweetly, but briefly. Theo held back a sigh, eyes on the wolf, standing from the floor.

Liam closed his eyes for a brief second when Theo’s hand stopped him from going to their bedroom. All Liam wanted was a shower, but Theo couldn’t let this go on any longer. Liam smelled sad, disappointed even and Theo wouldn’t sit there, knowing _he_ was doing this to his wolf. He wouldn't have a boyfriend to propose to if he allowed this shit to continue.

“Baby, look at me” Theo knew he had to play this nonchalantly, but he couldn’t just _not_ talk to Liam. Liam sighed, dropping his phone carelessly on the counter, finally turning to look at Theo “Why do you look so sad, baby? Talk to me”

“I can’t believe I’m gonna ask you this…” Liam sighed, closing his eyes and pinching the bridge of his nose, hand gripping at the strands of his hair and pulling tightly at them “... but were you really with Josh yesterday?”

Theo was extremely happy he wouldn’t have to lie about that. Theo could fool the Goddamned President, convince him aliens were real, but not Liam. Liam knew all his secrets, all his tells, his tricks and, well, they _had_ been dating for almost four years now. There wasn’t a single thing Liam didn’t know about him at this point. Theo took a step forward, grabbing Liam’s other hand in his and never letting go.

“Yes, baby, I was with Josh yesterday, why do you ask?” Theo used his index finger to lift Liam’s chin, the wolf’s blue eyes looking almost stormy grey with all the thoughts swimming around in his head “But you don’t think I told you the truth, do you?”

“I don’t know what I think, Theo” Liam looked down at their hands, how well they fit together and how _right_ it felt, ignoring as best as he could Theo’s skin against his own and how it made him breathless “But you never acted like this, leaving the room to answer your phone and locking yourself in the bathroom with the fucking tap running so I can’t hear what you’re saying… It’s been eating away at me, Theo, we _don’t do_ shit like this”

“Baby, have you considered that maybe I just have a surprise for you? For tonight?” Theo smiled, hand sliding to the back of Liam’s neck, staring at the wolf’s dumbfounded expression, bringing their bodies closer, happy to see Liam applied no resistance, the wolf’s free hand coming to rest on his hip.

“You’re planning something for tonight?” Liam whispered, feeling Theo pull him even closer, his arm slowly wrapping itself around his waist. Theo smiled at him, resting their foreheads together.

“Yes, baby, I am” Theo kissed the tip of his nose, sighing with a smile now that he no longer could smell all that sorrow coming from the wolf “Two, actually and Josh is perfectly aware of what they are, well, one of them at least and was helping me get the last few touches ready”

Liam stared at the Chimera, feeling extremely small and _ridiculous_ in that very second. He covered his face with his hands, hiding himself against the Chimera’s chest when Theo chuckled, arms wrapping Liam in a tight hug, fingers going through his damp hair, nuzzling his sweat covered skin.

“Fuck, Theo, I’m sorry” Liam sighed, hands going down Theo’ sides, the Chimera smiling wide, though the wolf couldn’t see him “I don’t know what came over me to act like the possessive boyfriend, I’m sorry”

“But, Liam, I’m _all_ about you being possessive over me” Theo teased, hand on the side of Liam’s face once the wolf looked up, his thumb caressing the sharp cheekbone “But don’t _ever_ think I would lie to you, that I’m cheating on you or some shit like that, alright? We’re beyond that. You and I? Are forever, Liam. And I’m not running from this, you should know that after four years of putting up with me”

Needless to say, Theo’s 5 hours and 48 minutes were considerably reduced, since Liam locked them in their bedroom for a good three of those, torturing Theo in the most amazing of ways, ways only Liam himself knew. And not once did Theo let his mind focus on anything other than Liam’s _everything._

* * *

 

Theo thanked whatever Gods Liam had been rambling about the week before when there was a knock on the door. He had been staring at the clock nonstop, senses shifting between Liam and the hallway of their apartment building. He had been so focused on Josh being late he hadn’t heard his friend jogging up the stairs to their floor. Theo cursed under his breath, making his way quickly to the door before the guy could even knock. Fucking Mother of Dragons.

He _definitely_ shouldn’t be watching this much Game of Thrones, really.

“Where _were_ you?” Theo hissed under his breath, hearing the shower still running, Liam’s heart steady as he hummed some song to himself. Theo had texted Josh, saying it was okay for him to stop by now, while Liam was in the shower and wouldn’t hear anything, so long as they kept quiet.

“Dude, there’s like, 8 _feet_ of snow outside, this shit wasn’t easy to pull off” Josh whispered with a smile, doing his best not to tease Theo about how fucking nervous he looked. The Chimera sighed, nodding “I’m not your delivery boy” Josh joked, earning a pinch to his stomach from his friend, hand on top of his mouth to stop himself from laughing.

“I know, I’m sorry” Theo ran his fingers through his hair, sighing for a long moment, before smoothing his hands down the front of his button down shirt, a Christmas gift from Liam “I’m _proposing_ to him, Josh, like… I’m _actually_ getting down on my knee and all that jazz, cut me some slack, will you?” Theo whispered, eyes on the hallway, hearing Liam pop the cap open of his shampoo bottle or shaving cream bottle.

“No, I ain’t cutting you _shit_ because you’re being stupid. He’s going to say yes, that’s a given” Josh spoke, handing Theo the bag the Chimera had asked to keep with him so Liam wouldn’t find it “Here, do I wanna know what’s in that bag you so nicely asked me to hide from your future husband for you?”

“You’ll know, just not tonight, buddy” Theo smiled, setting the bag on the stool closer to him, eyes on it for maybe a second too long, turning back to his friend “Thank you for this, dude, I owe you like, twenty”

“Buy me a sixpack when the new year rolls in and tell me _all_ about how you fucked Liam after he said yes” Josh teased, dodging the napkins Theo’s quick hand had grabbed from the counter behind him and turned into a ball and had aimed at his head, laughing.

“Remind me again why we’re friends?” Theo couldn’t help but smile, shaking his head at the guy, watching Josh walk back down the hallway, towards the stairs.

“Cause no one resists me, Raeken” Josh spoke, fingers on his forehead as he saluted Theo goodbye, waving at the Chimera “See you on the other side, dude, happy New Year”

Theo rolled his eyes, shutting their front door lightly. His hands reached for the bag immediately, his heart beating ten times faster as he untied the knot and peeked inside. There was a note, a white envelope right on top, but he ignored it for the moment, his thumb caressing the soft fur of the stuffed teddy bear he found under the paper, smiling down at it.

What he was about to do to Liam could be considered borderline _mean,_ wasn’t Theo so fucking in love with the wolf. And with the owner of said teddy. Theo closed his eyes for a second, letting the scent wash over him. Elvis sniffed, interested, pink nose in the air as he nudged the bag, making Theo smile. He opened the white envelope, reading the quick note written in a beautiful handwriting, aware of Liam turning the shower off.

_We wish you and Liam all the best tonight. Your little man’s already going to bed, he talked about you all day. He’s growing impatient, he’s a feisty one. Just like you. We’ll be waiting for you tomorrow morning, have breakfast with us?  - A.F._

Theo smiled, running to hide the bag before Liam could get out of the bathroom, heading back to the kitchen to finish wrapping up their dinner. Theo stirred pots, making sure everything was running smoothly before turning to their apartment, popping their dessert into the oven. All the extra Christmas lights were already in place and turned on, their dinner table was set and the candles were already lit, the living room completely turned off as the lights and candles worked to keep the darkness at bay, under Theo’s control.

Liam’s ring was already in the pocket of his jeans, as his hands loved to make sure of every couple of seconds, along with the picture he had been given three days before. Dinner was almost done, the champagne cooling in the fridge. He had tested the recipe with Josh the day before, after arriving from the last thing he needed to make sure was going to go smoothly. The _most_ important thing. If Josh noticed anything different in his friend, the way he smiled like a fool or the redness in his eyes, he chose not to say anything. Josh had texted him that morning, saying his mother approved of his choice of food and congratulated him on his culinary skills. So, with those two things out of the way, he was sure he had everything under control.

Operation _‘Ask Liam to Marry Me’_ was officially good to go. Stages I and II had already been completed, thank Heavens. Stage III was a bit… _trickier._ Let’s not even _talk_ about Stage IV.

“Oh, my God, _Theo!”_ Liam gasped, voice in a whisper, his still damp hair falling and glueing to his forehead as the wolf looked all around him. Elvis rubbed himself against the dark wash jeans Liam had just put on, the wolf completely unaware of the Chimera smiling, walking up to him “You did all of this while I was in the _shower?_ A freaking ten minute shower?”

“Is there anything I wouldn’t do for you, Liam?” Theo pulled a smiley Liam in for a kiss, grabbing his wet towel “Would you pop the champagne for us? Dinner's almost ready” Theo didn’t move, though, knowing Liam had no clue what was about to hit him and yet, it was so amazing to have the wolf like this, relaxed and completely himself, safe in his arms. _Trusting_ Theo, despite not knowing a single thing.

“So, we’re having champagne, huh?” Liam smiled “You spoil me, you know that?” Liam whispered, arms around Theo’s neck, the Chimera smiling at him, his smirk not enough to express how happy he felt. But he couldn’t give anything away. Theo had worked far too hard for these surprises to let his own happiness betray him now.

“What can I say? I’m a good boyfriend” Theo nuzzled their noses together, but didn’t let Liam kiss him, smiling over his shoulder at the wolf’s annoyed groan “Not now, baby, don’t forget I still have surprises for you”

“Fuck, Theo, I haven’t been able to stop _thinking_ about them” Liam bit his bottom lip, eyes darting down to Theo’s ass in the well fitted jeans he was wearing. Liam smiled, gathering himself before he stopped this dinner from even beginning. They’d have plenty of time. Liam’ smile only grew larger once he noticed Theo had been wearing the button down he had given the Chimera. Liam had always known Theo would look great in that wine, maroon color and the wolf was glad to finally see the man wearing it.

Liam poured them the champagne, the two of them thankful for the calmness of it all. The night had always been kind to them and this New Year’s Eve wasn’t going to be any different. Theo ran his fingers through Liam’s almost completely dry hair, his chest tightening as he watched Liam smile, leaning into the touch as he whimpered low in his chest, closed eyes as he enjoyed the caress. They finished their glasses, cool lips locking for a long moment before Theo sighed, pulling away when Liam’s arm circled his waist.

“I know what you’re doing, baby” Theo whispered against the wolf’s pink lips, watching as they opened into a wide Chesire Cat kind of smile “And I’ll have you know it’s not going to work, at least not now. Trust me, you’ll get what you want, just not in this very moment” Theo kissed Liam’s cheek, smiling at the wolf before setting his glass down, walking towards the kitchen “Dinner first, baby, surprises next. Then and _only_ then, I’ll let you do whatever you want to me”

“I don’t even have words to describe you, did you know that?” Liam spoke, knowing Theo could hear him, sitting on their dinner table, on the seat across from Theo’s. Liam smiled at the candles and the silver cutlery Theo had adorned their dinner table with. The golden ink on the white wax of the candles reflected the orange light from the fire, creating this brand new color Liam didn’t have a name for, hypnotized by how it shone once it met the silverware.

“Is that a good or a bad thing, baby?” Theo tried sounding nonchalant, like he was just focused on not dropping anything as he made his way over to the table. The last thing Theo wanted was for Liam to figure it all out before he could have a chance to fulfill his plan. The odds were very small, but Liam was an expert when it came to beating them.

“Good, obviously” Liam answered, his chin resting on his hand, elbow on the table as the middle finger of his other hand traced the edge of his champagne glass, smiling up at Theo “I don’t think there are words in the English language that could ever sum you up”

Theo smiled at Liam, with his long fingers, blue eyes and flirtatious smile. This was a side of Liam he hardly ever got to see, but fuck, did Theo love it. Theo took two steps towards the wolf, hand on the back of his chair, leaning over Liam until they were inches from each other.

“You are _evil,_ Liam Dunbar” Theo whispered, his hand coming up to hold onto the back of the wolf’s neck, eyes moving to watch that delicious smile adorn his Liam’s face once more “And I _love_ it, baby”

And Liam growled, his eyes flashing at the spike of arousal. His and _Theo’s._ The Chimera smirked, pulling away before Liam could do anything, moving to sit across from him, graceful even under Liam’s piercing stare. It was obvious Theo was teasing, but Liam had come to appreciate the taunting, the sexual banter, the dancing around each other until they snapped. And God help whatever or whoever stood between them.

But no. Hell to the _fucking_ no. Liam wasn’t ready for _that._ He felt giddy, stupidly in love and ridiculously happy. Theo had made him his favorite dessert, getting from the kitchen two slices of fresh out the oven apple pie with vanilla ice cream, pouring Liam more champagne as they ate. At some point, Theo ended up bringing his chair over to Liam’ side, the table being too much of a distance to keep between them.

And Liam felt himself growing anxious, doing his best to control the leg that had been bouncing under the table. If Theo noticed it, and Liam was _pretty_ sure the Chimera had, he hid his smile behind his glass, pretending he had no idea what he was doing to the poor wolf.

Liam stood in front of the window, watching as the snow fell outside, turning the world white. It was quite the blinding sight, honestly, all of the lights being reflected by the snow, hurting his eyes. Theo grabbed his hand, pulling him slowly back to the living room.

And finally, fucking _finally_ , Theo kissed him. Theo’s hand climbed to the back of his neck and pulled him in for a long kiss. Liam tried to deepen the contact, but Theo was relentless in keeping control, smiling against the wolf’s mouth. Elvis had already fallen asleep, snoring softly on the bed that he had quickly outgrown but snarled every time Liam tried to replace it with a bigger one.

It was already 11:57.

Liam smiled when Theo poured them the last of the champagne, handing Liam his glass back. Theo’s arm rested on his shoulder, the wolf’s hand finding its way to the back pocket of his lover’s jeans.

“Here’s to an amazing 2018, baby” Theo whispered, knowing he had to do this fast. There was a big chance Elvis would be scared of the fireworks and Theo wanted everything to go perfect. Liam’s bright smile wasn’t helping calm down his nervousness. Like _at all._

“Theo, why is your heart beating so fast? Is everything okay?” Liam asked, once they were done toasting. Theo smiled at the concerned look Liam had on his _infuriatingly_ handsome face, his hand moving to grab the wolf’s now empty champagne glass.

“Yeah, I just remembered I read somewhere dogs don’t really like fireworks”

And that was the moment Theo had been waiting for. Liam nodded, turning to look out the window and, in those few seconds, Theo moved to place the now empty glasses on their coffee table. But he didn’t move back to his full height. _Nope._ He knelt. Right there, in front of Liam, his heart jackhammering against his ribs as he watched the wolf turn back to him, arching his brows at finding Theo on the floor, hand reaching for the pocket of his jeans.

“Theo, what…”

Astonishment, in the form of _thousands_ of lightning bolts, spread all across Liam's body, cursing through his veins like a drug when his mind finally caught up with everything that was happening. Liam heard himself gasping, his hands covering his mouth as tears immediately stung at his eyes.

And Theo smiled, knowing his cheeks were flushed and that his heart was beating loud and out of control, but he didn’t care. Couldn’t honestly bring himself to care because Liam was right there, in front of him, looking every bit as shocked as Theo had imagined.

“Breathe, baby…” Theo whispered, a smirk on his face as he held the black box in his hand, the other reaching out for the wolf. Liam closed his eyes for a quick moment, remembering how to breathe, his hand in Theo’s. And the Chimera didn’t let it go “I’m guessing you know what I’m about to ask you”

Liam couldn’t find his voice to answer, so he just nodded, vehemently. Theo smiled, squeezing his hand for a moment before letting Liam focus on him completely.

“I’ve been planning this for a very long time, baby and, the truth is, I couldn’t think of a good enough way to do this” Theo spoke, knowing he was running out of time “I decided, then, to do it here, in our home, with Elvis as our only witness” Liam smiled, his free hand cleaning his face “I love you, Liam and I don’t think there are words in the English language that could _ever_ express exactly just _how much_ ”

That’s when Theo used his thumb to open the box. And Lim closed his eyes, smiling before opening them once more. Inside the box, which revealed to be of a deep red velvet, there was an engagement ring. And, unlike anything Liam had ever thought of, could ever imagine, it was black. It was black, with a bunch of tiny yellow, almost golden stones in the center, all around it. Golden like his wolf's eyes.

“So, Liam Dunbar…” Theo smiled, eyes taking in all of Liam’s happiness, how the wolf smiled down at him, almost hypnotized by the ring Theo had designed just for him “... will you marry me?”

There was nothing for Liam to think about. The wolf looked up to the ceiling for a second, a smile so wide on his face Liam felt like it would split his face in half, he was so  _damn_ happy. Theo was everything Liam needed and, yeah, Liam hadn’t _definitely_ seen this coming, but _yes._ Fuck yes, he wanted this.

“Yes” Liam smiled when Theo closed his eyes, sighing, relieved, getting up from his position on the floor “Yes, Theo, _yes,_ I wanna marry you” Theo laughed, arm around Liam when the wolf threw himself at the Chimera. His _fiancé._

They both laughed, foreheads resting against each other as Theo did his best not to drop the ring, shaky hands sliding the delicate band around Liam’s finger. And hell, it was the best feeling in the _world._ Liam threw his arms around his shoulders, Theo laughing, breathless, letting Liam pull him in a for a long, wild kiss.

They were just so giddy and full of love at that point they barely heard their neighbours screaming, welcoming the new year. They were both vaguely aware of their phones ringing, but there was nothing in the world that could get them to break that hug, or their kiss. Elvis woke up to all the fuzz, making his way to the window, sitting there and just admiring the colorful view. The wolf whimpered, eyeing his owners before turning back to the show outside.

“Happy new year, baby” Theo whispered once Liam let go of his mouth, but they didn’t let go of each other, Theo wrapping his arms around Liam’s waist, pulling the wolf closer to his body, if it was even possible.

“Happy new year, Theo” Liam couldn’t hold back the smile that took over his face, happy to just pull Theo down for another kiss. Theo smiled, hand on the back of Liam’s neck to guide the wolf, moaning when Liam’s warm hands met his skin, under his shirt. Liam chuckled, pulling away for only one second before tasting Theo once more.

It was getting way too heated for Theo to think straight. He was happy, had known all along Liam was going to say yes, but he couldn’t give in just yet. Theo held Liam’s face in his palm, caressing the wolf’s cheek as he pulled away, sighing at how awful it felt to feel himself free of Liam’s mouth.

“Baby…” Theo whispered, smiling when Liam cursed under his breath, moaning at the leg Liam forced in between his. Theo laughed when he pulled away this time, groaning at how hard they grinded into each other if either of them moved.

“You promised, Theo” Liam whispered, hands on the back of the Chimera’s head, fingers in his hair as he kissed the corner of Theo’s mouth “I’m going crazy here, _fiancé”_

“Fuck, that really turns me on, Liam” The wolf smiled, his mouth on Theo’s neck, kissing and licking at the skin, moaning as Theo’s hands slid up and down his back, squeezing him tight every few seconds “But I’m not done yet, baby, there’s still one more surprise, remember?”

“What? Theo, you just asked me to _marry_ you” Liam laughed, hand on his face to make sure there was no trace of all the tears that been falling moments before. Liam sniffed, pointing to himself with his index finger, his eyes lost on the beautiful ring that now had a home in his finger “Look at me, I can’t take any more surprises” Liam knew people were going to talk about him being 20 and engaged, but Liam didn't care. His mind could already hear all the things they'd whisper behind his back.  _Call it what you want, call me whatever you want,_ it's what he'd say. They didn't know Theo, didn't know  _them. They_  could call it whatever they wanted. 

“But this one’s special, baby” Theo smiled, his hand moving from where it was on Liam’s waist, reaching into his back pocket, pulling from it what looked like a piece of paper. But it was when Theo handed it to him that Liam understood it wasn’t just a piece of paper, but a picture.

Liam found himself staring at a cute little boy, who couldn’t be older than two years old. That baby Liam was looking at was _beautiful,_ his eyes a bright blue, his hair like fire, his eyebrows and lashes almost transparent in the sunlight. There was some kind of toy in his hand, he was sitting in what looked like a baby sized hammock, eyeing the camera.

“A couple of days ago, three, to be exact” Theo’s voice brought him back to reality. And Liam frowned, unable to understand why Theo was showing him a picture of this child “I had a long chat with Alpha Fitzpatrick”

“What?!” Liam’s voice sounded two octaves higher than usual, his blue eyes wide with shock as he took in the truth behind Theo’s words “You _chatted_ with the _Alpha_ of Massachusetts? What for?”

“I did” Theo smiled, his fingers missing how long Liam’s hair used to be. Liam was hot and beautiful no matter what, but Theo missed playing with the strands, now that Liam had gotten a drastic haircut “Because of that picture you’re holding. I came to her with this idea of mine and she gave me time to explain myself and that’s how she told me about Jonathan”

Liam’s eyes flew right back to the blue ones staring back, straight into his soul, the absolutely gorgeous boy _did_ look like a Jonathan, almost as if the name had been made for him. Theo smiled at how drawn to the picture Liam was, finally breathing. It had been stupid of him to worry, he knew it now.

“His mother and father, along with their small pack were killed by hunters a couple of months ago” Liam closed his eyes, immediately wanting to hold this child, comfort him, play with him. Make sure he was alright, an instinct Liam just couldn’t fight. No child should _ever_ have to grow up without a family “He became an Alpha, inheriting the power from his father”

“But… he _can’t_ be older than two, three if he’s a _very_ precocious child, tops” Liam looked up at Theo for only a moment, eyes back on the picture soon after.

“There’s no way to know for sure at this point, but the Alpha’s Emissary calculates he’s about two and a half, yeah” Theo explained, feeling inside his very chest just how sad Liam was to hear of this precious child’s story. He had felt the same and it had been much worse, because Theo had already met the boy, a couple of days before “He had a six year old sister who survived with him, but she tried to kill Jonathan for the Alpha spark and Fitzpatrick pack was forced to put her down, she was so mad for it”

Liam blinked back tears, knowing then why Theo had brought this boy’s picture to him. That little boy had nothing and both him and Theo knew _exactly_ what that felt like.

“So, Liam Dunbar, my _husband to be…”_ Liam smiled, biting his lips at the title Theo had just given him, his hand reaching for the front of the Chimera’s shirt “... I present to you our baby”

“What?!” Liam whispered, his head snapping up to look at the Chimera, his fingers fisting the fabric of his shirt without truly intending to “What are you talking about, Theo?”

“I sought the Alpha to ask for her help, to see if maybe she knew of a way you and I could adopt, if it was even possible. Hence Jonathan” Theo smiled, his hand on top of the one Liam held him tightly with “We can be the ones to help him, give him love and a home, a _family_ again. We can help him control the wolf and not have to hide who we are from him”

“You… you want _this?”_ Liam whispered, forgetting all about the picture he held as he let Theo’s eyes consume all of him, the Chimera being the only thing that kept him grounded at this point “You _actually_ want this?”

“I do, baby” Liam closed his eyes, smiling as he felt a new set of tears streaming down his cheeks, unable to hold them back as Theo hugged his waist. It was a lot to take in at once. First, he was _proposed_ to, now Theo had just given him the greatest gift of all “This is our baby, Liam”

Laughter bubbled out of Liam’s chest, the wolf nodding as he let Theo pull him in for a hug, his cheek resting against Theo’s pec as he took some time to just breathe and let it all sink in. But he never truly sunk, Theo keeping him afloat effortlessly.

“Yes…” Liam passed his arm around Theo’s back, his eyes moving from the picture to, once more, look into the Chimera’s as they held on to each other, to the great adventures their future held, all in the eyes of a boy. Theo kissed his forehead, pulling away from their hug slowly to grab a large bag, turning back to the wolf with a smile “... this _is_ our baby”

 

_The End_

 

_"Child,_

_why did no one_

_ever teach you_

_that you cannot_

_turn people into homes?_

_Still,_

_your home does_

_have a heartbeat._

_But it isn't one_

_locked in_

_anyone's else_

_chest._

_Just_

_look inside_

_your own"_

_-Nikita Gill, People Aren't Homes_

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> BONUS CHAPTER COMING RIGHT UP!
> 
> This is it, guys. We've reached the end. Or, well, almost reached it. I hope I didn't disappoint anyone. Do you guys remember, back in Chapter 1, how I said this story would only have 5 or 6 chapters? I do. And here we are. Heading into Chapter 20. All thanks to you.
> 
> I've been uploadig for the past few days while moving from one apartment to another, I'm literally exhausted, that's why I didn't update yesterday or the day before. So, sorry about that and thank you for being so amazing! This is all for you and because of you!
> 
> Let me know what you think, alright? 
> 
> I love you <3 <3 <3  
> XoXo
> 
> P.S. Let's give the amazing Nikita Gill a standing ovation for all of these awesome quotes and poems, shall we? I saved the best for last, that's for sure.
> 
> Also, here are the pictures I used to describe the ring and little baby Jonathan:
> 
> Ring: http://cdn6.bigcommerce.com/s-zlmau/images/stencil/1280x1280/products/734/2988/774_1___17124.1442201710.jpg?c=2
> 
> Baby J: https://i.pinimg.com/564x/fd/3c/ea/fd3cea9791336a968fb6e8dcbe03fe9c.jpg
> 
> And because my queen Tay Sway released Reputation today, I was very inpired by her and this chapter's title comes from one of the songs on the album, check it out if you haven't already :)


	20. Bring Our Baby Home

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Here we go. One last time.

_'I want you to remember this more than anything in the whole world:_

_No one who hurt you, who betrayed you,_

_who has never apologized for the pain_

_they have caused you is worth your mental health,_

_a place in your heart or the taste of acid on your tongue when you speak their name._

 

_What they deserve is erasure,_

_being forgotten,_

_being totally inconsequential whilst you persue every hope_

_and dream you have ever had in mind or in heart._

 

_Take every single person who lessened your shine and bury their memory,_

_without mercy under glow of everything that makes you who you are._

_And who you are right now,_

_in this moment,_

_is a living, breathing example of_

_how you can survive hell and still, still keep shining'_

_-Nikita Gill, You Are Hope In A Human Being_

 

Theo smiled, looking down at a sleeping Liam next to him on their bed, tucked safe and warm into his side. _January 1st, 2018._ The temperature had dropped so much they had allowed Elvis into their room, closing the door and turning on the calefaction. As supernatural beings, they didn’t have to worry about feeling cold as much as humans, or anything of the sort, for that matter, but still, there _was_ a limit to what their bodies could take.

Theo knew there were tons of things they still had to do before going to pick Jonathan up, they had a long day ahead of them. And the Chimera couldn’t help but smile at the thought. Jonathan. _Their son._ His son, _with Liam._ Liam, his _fiancé._ Can somebody just pinch him? Thanks. Liam still had to meet him, get the baby boy used to him, but that wasn’t all they had to do. They still had to get Jonathan’s things taken to their apartment, which would consume all of their time to get them in place. But it was alright.

Theo looked over to the clock, having lost track of time ever since the alarm had gone off, watching Liam.  _5:38._ Breakfast wouldn’t be before 8 a.m. and, considering they were only a thirty five minute drive away, there was still plenty of time for them to take it slow and enjoy the quiet before the storm. Especially Liam, to whom Theo had given all his attention the night before.

The Chimera found himself smiling when Liam mumbled in his sleep, something about having cereal and grammar mistakes. It only happened whenever Liam was in a truly deep sleep, the mumbling. Theo couldn't exactly call it sleep talking. The Chimera had never understood a thing he said, but always smiled, amused. Liam had his lips parted, his perfect cupid’s bow mouth making Theo want to disturb the wolf from his slumber just so he could kiss it.

But he didn’t. Not when Liam’s arm was thrown over his chest, the wolf sighing happily before settling once more. Theo knew it wouldn’t be long before Liam woke up, the way he tossed and turned a clear sign his sleep was becoming lighter. Theo gently grabbed his hand, placing a soft kiss to his knuckles before getting up. Theo sat on the edge of the bed, stretching for a few moments before bending and starting to pick up their clothes from the night before off the floor.

As soon as Theo opened the door to let Elvis out, he groaned softly at how cold their apartment was. His bare feet moved silently on the hardwood floor, their Christmas tree was still on, illuminating everything dimly. Theo rolled his eyes at the snow, hating Winter more and more with each passing day. He gave Elvis his food, leaving the clothes in a pile on the laundry room floor, making his way to the bathroom, leaving the door ajar.

Theo was thankful for how calm things were, but there was something bugging him, always there, ever present in the corners of his mind. There was something Theo wanted, but he just couldn’t seem to find a way to make his desires known. Which was ridiculous. This is Liam, after all. His ride or die Werewolf.

Theo had been craving Liam’s touch in a way that had been so unexpected of him he had no choice but to keep his mouth shut. He had hoped, had waited for the thoughts to disappear, but they never did. Theo found himself wanting things he had never thought himself capable of. And it thrilled him, though somehow his body froze in terror at the images his mind conjured.

Ever since Liam had made a move on him…

Liam knew he was a top… But like… _was he?_ Theo topped out of fear, it was impossible for him to imagine other people having that kind of control over him. _One_ wrong move and it all could come crashing down. But when Liam touched him, it wasn’t about control. Every single hand that had ever touched Theo had done so to cause the Chimera pain. So, when he had the opportunity to take control, he hadn’t hesitated to do just that. But not with Liam.

Liam touched him out of _love,_ out of this need the wolf had to make him feel safe, loved and _good._ Liam touched him out of love, not only that one time he turned Theo’s world upside down, but _always._ And fuck, it _had_ felt _amazing._ And, going against his better judgment, Theo wanted more of it. He wanted to explore it, he really did, but, every time there was an opening, the words died in his throat.

Liam never made a move after that day, never asked, never pushed and, deep down, Theo wished the wolf would. Theo wanted Liam to take all that from his hands, wanted the wolf to take the lead. All Theo wanted was to surrender. But all of it had slipped to the back of his mind, though never forgotten, after the whole _circus act_ with Liam’s mother, then the preparations for his proposal and getting to know Jonathan, all of it at once.

Liam had kissed and touched him, had _demanded_ Theo’s attention the night before, as if the wolf ever had to even _bother_ asking him for anything.

Theo had been so lost inside his own mind, head stuck underwater he found himself thrown back into reality when the door opened. Theo smiled when he smelled Liam, hearing the wolf yawn as he undressed, sweatpants on the floor. Theo didn’t move from where he stood under the shower spray, not even when he heard Liam get in with him. Liam was always welcomed, the wolf kissing his shoulder blade before even allowing his hands to meet the Chimera’ skin.

Liam passed his strong arms around Theo’s waist, the wolf’s forehead resting against his back while yawning once more, squeezing the Chimera for a moment.

“I still can’t believe we’re going to bring our baby home today” Liam whispered, a large smile taking over his handsome features and all Theo could do was purr in return, his body reacting to Liam’s touch in ways he couldn’t control. At this point, Theo didn’t really care, about anything other than Liam “Hey, you’re tense, what is it?”

And there it was again, the fucking opening. But, once more, Theo dismissed it, letting the words he had been so desperate to say sink back down to the bottom of his being.

“Just nervous, baby” Theo knew it was useless to lie, but he needed every second he could get. He’d never let Liam know just how much all of these feelings inside of him truly _terrified_ him, but he also knew he’d say it, knew that, sooner or later, he’d come clean. That’s just how things worked for them.

“Nope, that’s not it, tell me” Theo sighed, turning around. Liam stood right where he was, his arms adjusting to hugging Theo’s back now “What is it, Theo?” Liam whispered, voice soft as he almost begged for Theo to tell him what was wrong.

“I’m horny” Theo whispered back, his nose softly bumping Liam’s. The wolf huffed, closing his eyes and just enjoying how close they were, letting his hands roam  the Chimera’ skin freely, tenderly under the warm water.

“Really, Theo? After _everything_ we did last night?” Liam chuckled, his hands moving from Theo’ skin to brush his wet hair back, out of his face “You _are_ insatiable, I swear to God”

“That’s not what I’m horny for, baby” Theo held the back of Liam’s neck, eyes on the wolf’s confused expression, not letting him move an inch away, not that Liam would ever want to.

“For what, then?” Theo smiled at the anxiety coming off of Liam in waves, knowing the wolf’s mind immediately tended to think the worst. It was endearing and infuriating, all at once, how Liam still wasn’t able to believe he had Theo all to himself, but the Chimera knew he was about to change that forever.

“For _you,_ Liam, _inside_ me” Theo felt light, as if his Atlas complex was finally gone and he could breathe again. Liam knew. Liam knew the one thing Theo had been dying to keep hidden.

“You’re fucking with me, right?” Liam whispered, shock piercing through his veins as his brain caught up with what Theo had just said. That couldn’t _possibly_ mean what…

“Well, quite the contrary, actually, I hope” Theo teased, a tiny smirk on his lips. He knew Liam wasn’t up for joking in that very moment, but he just couldn’t help it. Theo immediately knew this was going to be a battle. Liam was very strict when it came to respecting whatever it was that Theo wanted or needed from their relationship, one of the many reasons Theo loved him. But, in that moment, he _was_ asking and Theo could only hope it wasn’t too much “No, I’m not, baby”

Liam remained silent, knowing Theo would continue whenever he was ready. If this was really where they were headed, then he _needed_ Theo to talk to him. Liam had always respected the fact that Theo’s will to chat and be open about his feelings was close to non-existing, but Theo didn’t have much of a choice now. All Liam wanted was for Theo to be honest and he appreciated how much the Chimera _tried_ for him. So Liam waited, his arms tight around Theo’s waist.

“No, I’m not” Theo let his finger trace down Liam’ shoulder, his own eyes following the movement, ignoring Liam’s ocean blue ones glued to his face, slow and steady, adding pressure until the wolf was whimpering softly at the touch “I’ve been wanting to talk about it for a while now, but I just couldn’t find the words, I guess. Never thought I’d want this, but I do. With you, Liam, _I do”_

“Jeez, Theo, I wouldn’t know where to begin, I mean…” Liam stuttered, blinking a couple of times to make sure they were really having this conversation “I _want_ to do this for you, but the last thing I want is to disappoint you or, God forbid, _hurt_ you, Theo”

“Liam, I want you inside me, I want your  _dick_ in me, do you have any idea how amazing and out of character that is? That I would _crave_ letting someone else have control? The only reason I’m even letting you know and _asking_ is because this is you. We’re getting married, Liam, we’re picking up our son in a couple of hours and I… I _need_ this, have been for a while now”

“Why wait to tell me, then? Why do it now?” Liam whispered, feeling his stomach flip at Theo’s words. He knew Theo loved him, knew the Chimera wanted, more than anything, to forget all the horrible things that had happened to him, to _them_ , but Liam had never, in a million years, expected _this_ to be their fate.

“Because things are about to change, Liam and, for the first time in my life, I feel like nothing can stand in my way. In _our_ way, baby” Theo’s hand slid to the side of Liam’s face, his thumb caressing the wolf’s cheek, their eyes forever locked “But we don’t have control over these things. There’s going to be an infant, a baby, _our_ baby running around this very apartment, we still have college and our attention will be his completely. While we still can, I want us to have this moment, today, _now”_

“Theo, I… I understand, but I’m not… I’m not _good_ at this, okay? At…”

“What? Sex?” Theo smirked down at the wolf, then. There had been a twitch in Liam’s heartbeat, the little _fucker_ had just _lied_ to his face and Theo’ stomach flipped, his arms coming to hug Liam’ shoulder. Their foreheads rested against each other, Liam sighing as he nuzzled their noses together “Damn it, Liam, I want you, isn’t that reason enough to just _give it_ to me?”

Liam closed the gap between their lips and answered Theo by simply kissing the Chimera. Because he was right, of course he was. Liam shouldn’t be scared, he knew Theo’s body like his own, if not better. He _was_ going to make this special for him.

Liam couldn’t lie and say he wasn’t _stupidly_ turned on by the idea either.

In the matter of two minutes, Theo was pulling Liam into their bedroom, their kiss heated and somewhat clumsy. Their towels fell to the floor at some point, but they were way too busy to give them much thought. And so, on their bed, their still soaking wet hairs making a mess, with sheets sticking to their still soapy skins, Theo and Liam found themselves forgetting all about taking it slow, with Theo’s back on the mattress.

“Promise me you’ll let me know if I hurt you” Liam was panting, pulling away from their make out session to look at the flushed Chimera under him. Theo rolled his eyes fondly, his hands climbing from Liam’s back to the wolf’s hair, brushing it back, away from his gorgeous blue eyes “Promise me…”

“I promise, Liam" Theo smiled, pulling Liam right back into him "I promise, baby"

Without having to worry about clothes, Liam set Theo comfortably on their large bed, using his knees to push the Chimera’s legs open. Theo smiled, biting his lips as he let his legs circle Liam’s waist. The wolf smiled, knowing exactly what Theo was doing. Liam’s hands moved from the mattress to hold Theo’s thighs from underneath, spreading them open again.

“No-no, Theo” Liam whispered “I’m gonna take my time with you, we’re not rushing this” The truth was that Liam was terrified. He had never topped, not like this. And of course Liam knew Theo could _smell_ it on him.

“Liam, baby, it’s really sweet that you’re worried about me and all that, but, _please,_ hurry the _fuck_ up, will you? I’ll be fine, just get in me already” Theo was sure that, somewhere inside him, he should be feeling shame or something like that. But he didn’t.

Liam gave Theo everything the Chimera wanted. Liam pulled Theo’s legs apart, eyes not breaking stare as he bent forward. Two can play this game. Theo cursed and moaned, eyes focusing on the ceiling once he realized what Liam was about to do. Nope. No shame at all. There was only Liam, his mouth, his hands. _Him._ Liam threw control out the window and just gave in, gave in to Theo.

Theo screamed when he felt Liam’s tongue on him. Liam ate him out, _meticulously,_ making the most amazing, dirty noises Theo had ever had the pleasure of hearing, from anyone. Before Theo could stop himself, before he could completely understand what it was that Liam was doing to him, there he was. Theo was there, on their bed, open, _exposed,_ at Liam’s mercy. And moaning, like a fucking _bitch in heat._

And, before you ask, no. No, he didn’t care. He couldn’t _find_ it in him to care. Not when Liam was taking such good care of him. Theo didn’t know if it was because he was finally getting what he wanted or because this was Liam. Or even if it really just felt _that fucking amazing,_ but Theo didn’t bother keeping his moans to himself. It was five in the morning and Theo couldn’t care less if their neighbors were hearing.

Theo was never embarrassed about feeling pleasure with Liam, never bothered hiding from the wolf how _good_ it felt to be with him, but this was something else. Liam smiled after pulling away, hand wiping the saliva off his chin. Theo groaned at the loss of contact, missing Liam’s warm, _wicked_ tongue almost immediately.

Liam spit on his hand, coming to lay on top of Theo. The Chimera pulled him down for a kiss as Liam stroked himself, tasting his own body on the wolf’s tongue and they both moaned, smiling against lips, breathing each other in.

And Theo gasped, hands gripping Liam’ shoulder and arms hard as the wolf began to push in. It didn’t hurt, like Theo expected it to. It wasn’t something he got used to quickly either, but it was _nothing_ like the horrible things Theo used to imagine his first time being.

Liam was to blame here. Fucking _liar._ Liam knew _very well_ what he was doing.

Liam took it slow, lips all over Theo’s neck, panting by the Chimera’s ear as he did everything in his power to go steady, slow and tender on Theo. Theo was fucking _tight_ and Liam seriously thought he was going to cum before even getting completely inside his Chimera.

“You’re so tight, Theo, oh my _fucking God…”_ Liam let his hands caress Theo’ sides, just breathing as he let the Chimera get used to the intrusion. Theo had his eyes closed, licking Liam’ shoulder before biting into it softly, head back on the pillow as he panted.

“Liam…” Theo couldn’t find words to say so he just let his body take over. Or rather. He let Liam take over. And Liam took _really good care_ of his Chimera. Let’s just say Theo was very happy they were each other’s first time. Okay, fine. Liam hadn’t been Theo’s first. But _this?_ This made up for that detail. This was so much _more,_ Liam was so much _more…_

And Liam couldn’t believe it was happening. He had never wanted this, it just wasn’t something he thought they would come to do in their relationship. And Liam had been fine with that. But Liam had to admit this was… it was _hot._ And everything he had no idea he needed.

Not because of the pleasure. Because Theo _trusted_ him. Liam knew Theo trusted him with his life, with his body, up to a certain level. But this was the apotheoses of everything they had ever gone through. This was Theo begging Liam to erase the last few remaining demons that still haunted him, lurking around in his dreams.

But Liam didn’t go slow like Theo had thought the wolf would. No, he fucked Theo. His sweet, nervous _‘I don’t know how to top’,_ Liam Dunbar, his fiancé, father of his son, fucked the _living daylights_ out of Theo. And still, Theo asked for more.

Theo let himself drown in the sounds their bodies made, slapping together in the secrecy of their bedroom. Nothing could reach them there, not when they were together, so perfectly in sync.

“Liam… oh, _fuck… me,_ Liam” Theo hugged Liam close, the wolf hiding his face against Theo’s neck, kissing, teasing the skin there. Liam closed his eyes, growling into the Chimera’s ear. Liam’s hands gripped Theo’s thighs tightly, spreading them wide and just giving Theo _everything_ he asked for.

“I’m here, Theo…” Theo moaned, squeezing Liam’s back. _This._ This was exactly what he needed. To belong to Liam, now completely. A wedding ring on his finger wouldn’t make any difference, not now that every cell in his body had been branded by the wolf himself. Theo felt… whole “Oh, _fuck!”_

It didn’t take long before Theo was cumming, Liam’s hand wrapped tight around his cock, teasing the head with his thumb. Liam didn’t slow down, his arm around Theo’ shoulders as he let the Chimera spasm and growl under him, keeping him grounded when all he wanted was to float, feeling like a lightweight. Theo smiled, lazily holding on to Liam, his body relaxed in ways it had never been before.

Liam moaned all sorts of dirty things into his ear, making Theo smile, arms around the wolf’ shoulders. All Theo did was take it. Lay there and take what Liam’s hot and merciless cock was ready to give him.

“You… are amazing, Theo” Liam whispered, hand on the mattress as he felt his abs twitch, his balls heavy as they slapped against Theo’s ass. Liam squeezed his eyes shut, knowing he wouldn’t be able to hold out much longer. Theo’s leg circled his waist and the wolf growled, the sound so weak it was almost a purr, his hips fucking into Theo with renewed strength “I love you, Theo… _fuck!”_

Theo was ready for Liam when the wolf gave in, falling, spent, on top of his chest, cum filling his body. Theo smiled, nuzzling Liam’s messy hair as the wolf panted, his hands slowly, lazily, coming to touch Theo in whatever way they could. Liam kissed Theo’s chest every couple of seconds, taking his sweet time with coming down from his high.

And Theo knew why Liam was this quiet. He was waiting. Waiting to see what would happen next, would Theo regret it? Would his Chimera fight his humanity for what they had just done? Ever since Liam had become his Anchor, it had been easier for Theo to name whatever it was that was happening inside his heart, his body and mind.

He was calm, that was the only word Theo could use to describe it. Liam had been able to slowly exhume him of all his demons, his worst nightmares, his skin finally clean, recovered and intact. His entire being was finally free of all the scars the world had left on him. And that’s why he hugged Liam tighter, the wolf sighing happily against him, his hands soft and so very _Liam_ on him.

“You wouldn’t know where to begin, huh?” Theo teased after they had both calmed down, Liam still laying on top of his body, still inside him. Liam groaned at the Chimera’s words, hiding his face further into Theo’s chest, making him smile. They still had time to clean up once more and get dressed, so Theo just laid there and relaxed, hands in Liam’s hair “Don’t ever sell yourself short to me again, baby”

“You matter way _too much_ for me to screw something like _this_ up, Theo” Liam sighed, kissing Theo’s chest one more time softly, whispering against his still fresh from the shower skin “I was… _nervous”_

Theo smiled fondly at his lover, his hands urging Liam to look up at him. Theo knew he had never given Liam much confidence in this department, what with his nightmares and all the stories he had whispered into his ear in the middle of the night about the Doctors, about adapting to the outside world. But hell, Liam had delivered better than Theo had ever imagined possible. He was in a haze of happiness, lost in his perfect Wonderland without ever wanting to get out.

“Maybe you shouldn’t have performed this well then, baby” Theo spoke, Liam resting on his elbows to better look at the Chimera, holding his weight off of his body “Cause now I’m hooked on you, Liam, and there’s no turning back now, I’m fucking sold”

Liam smiled, one of those wide, blindingly handsome smiles of his that were only reserved for Theo. He let Theo pull him down for a kiss, a slight blush taking over his cheeks as he took his time to breathe Theo’s bliss in.

“We’ll have to split our time, then” Liam whispered “Because I’m not ready to give up on you fucking me either”

“Deal, baby…” Theo smirked, kissing Liam’s lips once more before resting back against their pillows “… _deal”_

 

* * *

 

 

Pulling out of Theo hadn’t been that fun. Liam had gotten used to the tightness around his dick, loving to just lay there and laugh with Theo as time crawled by. But they still had to get out of bed and get cleaned and dressed. Which they did, never daring to step too far from each other. Liam had pulled Theo in for a kiss when they were in their closet and that had cost them almost a whole ten minutes, not that they had been counting.

They played with Elvis for a while, knowing the pup would be alone for most of the day. They wanted to make sure the pup knew just how loved he was, since they would be bringing a new person into their home when they returned. Theo kept a hand on the small of Liam’s back all the time as they made their way to the garage, the wolf’s nervousness as huge as his own. Theo had already met Jonathan, had played with him, made the little one laugh and squeal with happiness, but Liam hadn’t.

And Liam was scared, but there was also a thrill in his eyes, in his ever present smile and agitated gestures that made Theo smile. He knew he had done the right thing, for them and for Jonathan. Theo knew everything was going to be okay.

“What are we going to call him? Jonathan, I mean” Liam turned to Theo at one point, stopping beside the truck as Theo pressed the button to unlock it on the keychain “What last name will we give him?”

“Well, we can either let him choose when he’s older or we can just give him one” Theo answered, getting the car into traffic once they were settled inside, the GPS already with the Fitzpatrick Pack’s address set “All I know is that his middle name will _not_ be Elliot, thank you very much”

Liam smiled, reaching for his sunglasses in the glove compartment. The snow was still bright outside and he hated how much it hurt his eyes. Theo had never had that problem, but it was hell for his enhanced sight.

“Well, I don’t even _have_ a middle name, so I guess we could just add one to his” Liam stayed silent for a second, biting his bottom lip as he gave the topic some more thought “He’s a Leo, right? As far as we know, he’s a Leo, that’ be a good middle name”

“Jonathan Leo? It doesn’t sound that great, baby” Theo smirked, eyes on the road as he drove towards the exit route out of town.

“Jonathan Leo Raeken does have a nice ring to it, you have to admit it” Liam didn’t see Theo frowning at his words, too caught up in watching the street outside, the roads clear and all the shops closed.

“Why _my_ last name?” Theo wanted to be able to look at Liam, wanted to ask the wolf what the hell he was going on about.

“You’re his father” Liam shrugged, eyes now on his hands, playing with his own fingers on his lap.

“And that makes you, what? His mother?” Theo teased, huffing right after. But he _did_ look at Liam when the wolf didn’t tease back or laugh.

“I’ll still be his father, I just… call it an instinct, I guess. I… I don’t really know, a mother’s instinct is all I can compare this to, this… fearlessness, the need to protect him”

Theo smiled, shifting gears and letting his hand reach for Liam’s thigh. The wolf’s hands clasped his, squeezing his fingers for a long moment.

“Jonathan Leo Raeken-Dunbar, what do you think, baby?” Theo looked at Liam for a few more seconds, turning back to the road. The sky was clear and the road ahead made it look like there was no civilization around.

“I think he’ll hate us for giving him this long of a name” Liam chuckled, his eyes lost on Theo’s handsome face, the Chimera relaxed and smiling while keeping his eyes focused on the road, their hands still locked together “But I also think it’s perfect”

 

* * *

 

 

Theo parked the car exactly where he had the last time he had been there. He had emailed the Alpha before showing up, obviously, he didn’t want his visit to be unwelcomed. But, today, he brought the car into a stop with ease, eyes soon on Liam. Theo smiled when the wolf didn’t move to unbuckle his seatbelt, merely staring at the large house in front of them.

The Fitzpatrick household wasn’t even half the size of the Hale Manor, but it was still imponent anyway. Liam grabbed his hand once they were out of the car, eyes the whole time on the front door. Theo knew Liam could hear things even his Chimera couldn’t, his mind focused on whoever was making the slightest noise inside.

Theo smiled at how scared, yet excited Liam looked, letting go of the wolf’s hand  and passing his arm around his shoulders as they took the first step into that new adventure. Towards their son.

Alpha Fitzpatrick was a tiny woman, with long blonde hair and the kindest eyes Liam had ever seen. She hugged him, smiling wide at Theo as she welcomed them into her Pack’s home, congratulating them on their engagement. Theo squeezed Liam’s hand when the wolf looked down, a smile softly appearing on Theo’s face. Yup, that made it real. They were really getting married.

The Alpha led them to an already set, large breakfast table, introducing Theo and Liam to her Pack. Everyone treated them with the same calmness and hospitality that seemed so abundant in their Alpha, standing from their seats and shaking hands with the two outsiders.  Liam’s eyes flashed to a bright golden after meeting the Pack, a show of peace and respect. Liam had an Alpha, but he was in another territory now and he played by their rules.

Liam felt a lump in his throat. He knew the Alpha would tell him about how the Pack had come across Jonathan and, though he wanted to hear it, _needed_ to know all the details, this woman was giving him so much he felt the need to show her just how thankful he was. And the wolf took over, bowing its head to the powerful being standing in front of him. Theo had never understood the instincts of wolves, but he had learned to keep in mind sometimes Liam had no control over them. The wolf was living in the same body, inhabiting the same soul and it was easy for Theo to forget it was 50/50 when it came to Liam.

Alpha Fitzpatrick smiled, hand on Liam’ shoulder, appreciative of the respect the wolf displayed, for her and for her territory. She gestured towards the table, a welcoming smile as she guided Theo and Liam to two empty seats. Theo smiled at the empty baby chair right next to the ones they’d be taking.

“Jonathan is getting dressed, please sit, help yourselves, we have all the time in the world to get to know one another” The Alpha made her way to the other end of the table, hands on the chair as she briefly kissed a little girl’s cheek, her daughter Liam could tell “Please, Izzy, would you grab Theo and Liam’s coats for me, please?”

Oh, but Liam just couldn’t _think_ of eating in that moment. And, for once, Theo didn’t push. He understood Liam better than ever. The nervousness, the fear that Jonathan might not like him all that much. Which was ridiculous. There wasn’t a living soul that could possibly _not_ like Liam, Theo knew that for a fact. He had gotten over his jealousy, watching as Liam had tons of people around him, but always came back to him, to his arms.

Gosh, little Jonathan was even more beautiful in person, smiling his toothless smile at the Pack as soon as he was carried downstairs. His red hair looked like fire in the bright sunlight, the baby making grabby hands at Theo, squealing in happiness as soon as his blue eyes rested on the Chimera.

Liam covered his mouth, knowing he had stopped breathing at this point. How could something so little be so perfect? So... beautifully breathtaking?

Theo squeezed Liam’s thigh, standing from his chair and walking to stand in front of the Beta who could barely hold Jonathan still, now that Theo was so close to him. Theo smiled at the baby, glad to see his excitement. The Chimera hadn’t known just how much he was dying to hold the baby once more, until he finally had him in his arms again.

“Hey, buddy!” Theo made a gasping sound, hand on Jonathan’s back as the baby hugged his neck with his arms “Look at you! You’re even bigger than I remember!”

Liam could only watch, a smile on his lips as he couldn’t seem to take his eyes off of Theo. Those were his future husband and their son. It was an overwhelming feeling, far greater than anything Liam thought he’d experience in that very moment. He knew he’d cry and probably have a lump in his throat all through the morning, but not _this._

There was only love and admiration, respect and devotion as he stared at the bright smile adorning Theo’s face, the Chimera gently tickling Jonathan, the boy smiling and laughing that delicious laughter Liam fell in love with almost immediately. Liam had never thought Theo would want this, a family. Not when the world had treated him so unkindly. But there the man was, turning all of that abuse into love. Love for this perfect, little thing that had already suffered too much in his short life.

"Jonathan, there’s someone I want you to meet” Liam was kicked out of his thoughts with Theo making his way to him, suddenly everyone else in the room wasn’t there, forgotten. Theo knelt beside Liam’s chair, a happy, flushed Jonathan in his arms “Jonathan, this is Liam, my…”

Everyone in the room went dead silent when a whine came from the baby, Theo barely having time to get closer to the wolf before Jonathan was moving desperately towards Liam. Jonathan reached out his arms, tiny fingers grabbing the front of Liam’ sweater as he crawled into the wolf’s lap.

Liam reached for him as he gasped, his wolf howling loudly inside his head as Jonathan passed his arms around his neck and just didn’t _let go._ Liam closed his eyes, hugging the baby to his chest, feeling Theo’s hand on his back, touching his neck, scent marking and calming him. Liam felt the hot burn of tears as he heard tiny, pleased sounds coming from the pup he held, the tiny Werewolf in his arms adjusting his legs so he could sit better on Liam’s lap.

When Jonathan moved away, his eyes were red. _Alpha_ red. Not as bright as a grown Alpha’s would be, but the spark was there anyway, present in his very DNA. Liam couldn’t help but smile, letting the wolf take control and flash his own back, relaxing against Theo’s hand. The Pack, along with Theo, only started breathing again when Jonathan laughed, his hands exploring Liam’s face, fingers on his scruff.

“Hey, baby boy” Liam whispered, aware of Theo sitting back on his chair, bringing it closer to his. He let Jonathan do whatever he wanted, touch his hair and make a mess out of it, the smile on his chubby face making everything just _worth it._ Liam heard someone talking, then laughter among those at the table, but he didn’t pay attention. Neither did Theo, apparently, considering he didn’t take his eyes off of them, not for a second.

“Well, that was to be expected” Someone in the pack spoke, answering the joke that had been made. Said someone was Jessica, the Alpha had introduced her as one of her first Betas “You are a powerful Beta, Liam, it’s only natural Jonathan would try to mark you as his, not that he has any idea what that even means, of course”

That got Theo’s attention. The Chimera frowned, for the first time taking his eyes from Liam and their son to look at the other wolves at the breakfast table. They were all pouring themselves juice and coffee, passing toasts and waffles, maple syrup everywhere, like there weren’t two complete strangers in their home.

“What do you mean, _mark_ Liam as his?” Theo asked, letting Jonathan grab his finger, playing with it, along with Liam’s nose, the Beta completely distracted from the conversation for a moment as he smiled down at the baby boy in his arms. Liam moved and caught Jonathan’s finger in his mouth, making the boy squeal happily.

“Jonathan is an Alpha and Alphas can sense when people are together, a couple, like you and Liam” Jessica explained, setting her fork and knife down, smiling at the boy from across the table “He knows you, knows you’re Pack, somehow. He knows your scent and it’s all over Liam’s. So he just assumed Liam was Pack too and went straight to him”

“I was turned by a True Alpha, I guess that _does_ explain it” Liam whispered, only lifting his eyes from Jonathan to look at Theo, smiling at the Chimera before turning back to their baby “I’m just glad he liked me, if I’m being honest”

Theo smiled when the Pack chuckled, knowing there was a lot they couldn’t see. But now wasn’t the time to talk about it, they’d have plenty of time for that. And everyone moved on with breakfast, now that Jonathan was getting used to his new parents. Obviously, the baby wasn’t aware of those things, what Pack he belonged to, his tragic story, but he’d be loved. That was all that mattered. He’d be in good hands.

Theo kissed Liam’s temple, the Beta smiling and turning to the Chimera, his hand resting on Theo’s thigh. Theo smiled, moving back in to kiss Liam’s mouth softly. Jonathan growled at that, making his parents laugh, silly smiles on their faces.

“Hey, he’s mine too, buddy” Theo whispered, smiling as he ruffled Jonathan’s hair, the baby smiling as soon as the Chimera did it “Can I get you something to eat? You haven’t eaten since New Year’s dinner, last night”

“Some toast, please. And juice” Liam spoke, smiling at the Chimera. Theo served him a plate, dividing his attention between Liam and Jonathan and the conversations the Pack was having. He didn’t want to seem ungrateful, though he was sure the Alpha would understand. Theo made himself a plate too, eventually grabbing Jonathan into his lap so Liam could finish his food.

The same Beta that had dressed Jonathan that morning walked back into the room, carrying with her a bottle for the littlest Alpha. Theo smiled, cleaning his hands with a napkin before thanking the girl and reaching for it. Jonathan immediately settled in whatever position he liked best, resting completely against Theo’s chest as he let the Chimera feed him. Liam smiled, resting his forehead against Theo’ shoulder, his arm around the Chimera’s chair, eyes on their baby.

Theo smiled, biting his lips as he rested his head on top on Liam’s. There he was. A father. Gosh, if only people could see him now, huh? Holding his baby, smiling like an idiot at his fiancé. How the winds had changed for him. And Theo was on fucking cloud fifteen, having left cloud nine behind around the time Liam presented him with Elvis.

Theo hadn’t thought his life could honestly get any better, but Liam had somehow found a way to make it happen.

After breakfast, with Jonathan lazing against Theo’s chest, almost asleep again, but not quite there yet, they followed the Alpha into her study, sitting on one of the couches she had in there. And Liam wasn’t ready for the conversation they had. Though the Alpha was nice enough to keep the details to herself, she told them everything Jonathan might ask them in the future.

“I smelt it before I found her body, I knew his mother was gone” The Alpha spoke, crossing her legs, arms around herself like she was feeling cold “But I hadn’t expected there to be a child with her. Jonathan was covered in blood, shaking from the cold and starving. We found his sister maybe a day later, deeper into the woods and you both know how that turned out. We cared for Jonathan, he was a very nice baby, as I’m sure you’ve noticed” The woman smiled, watching Theo hold the baby’s head in place as he fell asleep after being fed “And when Theo told me about you, Liam, I knew you’d be a perfect fit. I understand now what you meant, Theo, you two are going to be amazing parents, I’m sure of it”

Liam knew he’d ask Theo what she meant later, smiling when the Chimera simply squeezed his thigh, hugging Jonathan to his chest. The baby loosely held on to the Chimera’s coat, cheek pressed against his pectoral as he took long, deep breaths, lost in his dream world.

“But I have to ask that you let us see him, from time to time” The Alpha spoke once more “He already felt like Pack to us and it’ll be hard, saying goodbye”

And Theo and Liam left, the truck full of Jonathan’s clothes and toys, Liam carrying the sleeping baby as they made their way out. The Alpha had already ordered for a crib to be delivered at their apartment and Liam hugged the tiny woman, thanking her repeatedly for trusting them with Jonathan. They knew adjusting would be complicated for the small wolf, but they were thankful they still had a couple more weeks before having to worry about school again. They’d have plenty of time to get the apartment organized for Jonathan and would, hopefully, fall into a nice routine, the three of them.

Liam pulled Theo in for a kiss before getting into the backseat of the truck with Jonathan in his arms, now that they were far enough away from the Pack. Theo smiled, hand on the truck as he let Liam do whatever he wanted to him, at this point. There was nothing Theo would say no to now, not when it came to Liam.

“I love you…” Liam whispered, arm going back to hugging their son, holding his little coat’s hoodie in place against the harsh, cold wind “I fucking love you, Theo”

“I love you too, baby” Theo smirked, hand brushing Liam’s hair back, kissing the wolf once more before holding his door open for him. Theo smiled at their son, resting against the truck after setting Jonathan’s bag at Liam’s feet “Will we ever get tired of just _looking_ at him, like some creepy ass parents?”

Liam chuckled softly, shaking his head in amusement before resting it against the headrest of the seat, eyes looking for Theo’s gorgeous ones, finding them already watching the wolf. Liam smiled, his hand reaching for Theo’s, squeezing it tightly, brushing a kiss against his knuckles. Knuckles that had saved his life more times than Liam ever dared to remember. He was so happy he’d be damned if he ever let those memories resurface, now of all times.

“Probably not, we won’t” Liam smiled, looking back to their baby as he heard Theo chuckle, his boots making noise on the snow as he moved to shut the door “But, I mean, _look at him”_

 

* * *

 

 

Theo pushed Liam against the wall of their bedroom, being as silent as possible since they had just put Jonathan down for the night. It hadn’t taken Theo more than forty minutes to put his crib together, sitting on their living room floor, careful eyes on Elvis as Liam played with Jonathan. Elvis had been extremely well behaved all day, earning himself a large treat before going to bed himself.

Oh, but Theo didn’t plan on letting Liam sleep. Anytime soon.

Theo attacked Liam’s neck, the wolf smiling as he bit his lip, arms tight around his fiancé’s back, keeping them locked in a hug. Liam sighed, fingers in Theo’s hair as he gave the Chimera more space to work his magic. It had been one hell of a long day and all Liam wanted was to give it the perfect ending.

“I love you, baby… Fuck, so much, Liam” Theo pulled away from their hug, hands on the wall, letting himself take all of Liam in. His beautiful, sex on legs, partner in crime, father of his son Liam. Theo smirked at how turned on Liam was, the wolf’s hands in his hair, not letting their bodies separate, keeping Theo exactly where he was, against him.

“I love you too, Theo…” Liam smiled, resting his head against the wall as they whispered to each other, their ears focused on Jonathan, who was sound asleep in the spare bedroom, just next to theirs. He smiled, pulling Theo in for a soft, long kiss before resting their foreheads together, the Chimera’s hands squeezing his waist, lifting his shirt and exploring the warm skin underneath it.

Liam smiled. Because he knew there was a promise in that touch. A lifetime beside this man standing in front of him, a lifetime of love, grocery shopping, kissing bad dreams away and just taking one day at a time, watching their baby grow up.

“Who could’ve thought all of _this_ started in an elevator, huh?”

 

**_The End (?)_ **

 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> And that's it, ladies and gentlemen. The final chapter is here.
> 
> Thank you so much to everyone who stood by me, who supported this story in ways I can't explain. You guys are amazing!
> 
> Thank you for all the kind words, the love, the CAPITAL LETTERS, all the smiles you guys don't know I've had on my face because of you.
> 
> I hope I didn't disappoint.
> 
> Who knows? Maybe we'll all find each other in this universe again.
> 
> Follow me on social media, so we can meet and talk <3 
> 
> Twitter: @SofiaVolkerling
> 
> Tumblr: imsupposedtohateyouright
> 
> Let me know what you think, okay? One last time, at least for now.
> 
> See you guys around :) Thank you <3
> 
> Also, thanks to @TheodyChraeken for Jonathan's name <3


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